Richmond City Circuit Court, Virginia Document Filing Requirements

CRITICAL

Applies to

Filing

Attorneys filing through the clerk’s office must place their Virginia State Bar number, office address, telephone number, business email address, and business fax number at the foot of each filing.

Attorneys perfecting filings in the clerk’s office must place at the foot of their filings: their Virginia State Bar number, office address, telephone number, business email address, and business fax number.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Prior written judicial authorization

A visitor must bring a physical copy of the authorization to the courthouse.

B. The visitor must bring a physical copy of the prior written judicial authorization to the courthouse.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Motion

A motion date will not be scheduled until the moving party files the motion with the clerk and certifies that all parties received a copy.

No motions dates will be scheduled until the moving party has filed their motion with the clerk’s office and certified that they have provided a copy of their motion to all parties.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Prior written judicial authorization

The presiding judge assigned to the visitor’s case must give the written authorization.

A. The prior written judicial authorization for the possession of the electronic device, other than a portable electronic device as defined by Code § 16.1-69.35:4(A), must be given by the presiding judge assigned to the case for which the visitor is coming to court.

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

Applies to

Community service hours documentation

Community-service documentation must use the organization’s letterhead and identify service dates, hours worked on each date, and the supervising representative’s name, contact information, and signature.

Documentation must be on the letterhead of the 501(c)(3) organization and must state (i) the dates of service, (ii) the hours worked on each date of service, and include (iii) the name, contact information, and signature of the representative of the non-profit organization that supervised your community service hours.

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

Applies to

Work during imprisonment credit request

An application for credit for qualifying work during imprisonment requires a completed Form DC-212, either a correctional-facility letter or a facility representative’s completed form section, and filing the fully executed and notarized form with applicable attachments in the Clerk’s Office.

A person that owes fines or costs imposed by this Court may apply to receive credit for qualifying work performed during imprisonment by (1) fully completing Form DC-212; (2) and following the instructions on the form, which require that they either (i) attach a letter/statement from the correctional facility or (ii) have a representative of the correctional facility fill in the appropriate section of the form; and (3) filing the fully executed and notarized Form DC-212 with the Clerk’s office, along with any applicable attachments.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Prior written judicial authorization

A visitor must obtain prior written judicial authorization to possess a non-portable electronic device in court.

VI. A visitor to the court must have prior written judicial authorization to possess any electronic device that is not a portable electronic device as defined by Code § 16.1-69.35:4(A).

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

Applies to

Community service hours documentation

Participants must either sign the letter under oath in person at the Clerk’s Office or sign it before a notary who notarizes it and attaches a certificate of the sworn attestation.

Participants must either (i) return to the Clerk’s Office in person to sign the letter under oath, attesting the information in the letter is accurate and true or (ii) sign the letter before a notary public, who must notarize the letter and affix a certificate attesting that you swore the information in the letter is accurate and true.

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

Applies to

Payment agreement

A person who owes fines or costs may enter a $25-per-month plan or agree to pay the balance in full within six months by executing Form CC-1379 in the Clerk’s Office.

Anyone that owes fines or costs in this Court, regardless of financial need, may enter into an agreement to pay $25.00/month or an agreement to pay the entire balance of fines and costs in full within six (6) months by executing the agreement Form CC-1379 in the Clerk’s Office.

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

Applies to

Community service credit request

To apply for community-service credit, a person must complete Form DC-211 with the relevant case numbers, select the community-service-credit option, and file the form with the Clerk’s Office.

A person that owes fines or costs in this Court may apply to receive credit for community service work by (1) completing Form DC-211, including the section for listing the case numbers associated with their request; (2) checking the box on the form that states “[X] by doing community service work to earn credit for fines and costs only, if available”; (3) filing the Form DC-211 with the Clerk’s Office;

CRITICAL

Applies to

Filing

Must include

ai disclosure

The AI disclosure certifies that AI tools were used and that the filing is factually and legally warranted; the certification applies only to that filing.

I hereby certify that artificial intelligence ("AI") tools were utilized in the drafting, creation, enhancement, or modification of the instant filing. Pursuant to the duty found in Va. Code § 8.01-271.1(B), notwithstanding the assistance from AI tools, to the best of my knowledge, the content of this filing is well grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. I acknowledge that this certification only applies to the instant filing.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Filing

Must include

ai disclosure

Attorneys and pro se litigants must provide an AI-use certification with any pleading, pleading exhibit, memorandum, sketch order, or other filing.

The use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools is not prohibited in this Court. However, all attorneys and pro se litigants alike shall henceforth provide a disclosure in the form of a certification at the end of, or attached to, filings disclosing the use of AI in any pleading, exhibit to any pleading, memoranda, sketch order, or any other filing.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Certification for proposed exhibits

Must include

ai disclosure

Attorneys and pro se litigants must file an AI-use certification for proposed exhibits, including demonstrative exhibits, ten days before any trial or evidentiary hearing.

Henceforth all attorneys and pro se litigants shall also, ten (10) days before any trial or evidentiary hearing, file a certification disclosing the use of AI in any proposed exhibits (including demonstrative exhibits).

CRITICAL

Applies to

Written statement

A self-represented party must file a statement giving their residence and mailing address and notify the clerk in writing of any changes.

Any party not represented by counsel must file a written statement of their place of residence and mailing address and notify the clerk in writing of any changes.

WARNING

Applies to

Motion

The moving party should prepare a sketch order and either file it with the motion in advance or bring it to the scheduled motions hearing.

The moving party should prepare a sketch order and either file it in advance with the accompanying motion or bring it to a scheduled motions hearing date.

WARNING

Applies to

Legal authority

Counsel should prepare to argue disputed jury instructions and bring copies of any cited law for the Court and all parties.

Counsel should be prepared for argument as to the instructions that are not agreed and should be prepared with any law they wish to present to the Court. Counsel should bring a copy of any law cited for the Court and for all parties.

WARNING

Applies to

Discovery motion and response

Must include

certificate of conference

In civil discovery-sufficiency motions and responses, the parties should provide the Court with objected-to discovery replies as exhibits and include the required certification of a good-faith attempt to confer.

In civil matters, the parties should provide the Court with copies of the objected discovery replies filed as exhibits appended to their motions and responses regarding the sufficiency of discovery as well as the required certification of good faith attempt to confer.

WARNING

Applies to

Proposed jury instructions

Submitted proposed-instruction copies should note their supporting authorities, and counsel may offer additional instructions at trial.

Such copies should note the authority or authorities relied upon for such instructions. This rule does not preclude the offering of additional instructions at the trial.

WARNING

Applies to

Jury instructions

For trial, counsel should prepare jury instructions without notations of their supporting authorities.

For trial, counsel should prepare jury instructions that do not contain a notation of the authority upon which they are based.

WARNINGCriminal casesCourt notice

Applies to

Payment agreement

Anyone with a payment agreement must promptly notify the Court of a change in mailing address.

As a condition of any payment agreement, the Court must receive prompt notification of any change in mailing address.

WARNING

Applies to

Criminal discovery motion

All criminal discovery motions filed pursuant to Rule 3A:11 should be either accompanied by a sketch order or docketed for hearing.

All criminal discovery motions filed pursuant to Rule 3A:11 should be either accompanied by a sketch order or docketed for hearing.

WARNING

Applies to

Technology reservation request form

The requesting party should fill in the Technology Reservation Request Form.

The requesting party should fill in the Technology Reservation Request Form.

WARNING

Applies to

Jury instructions

The Court encourages advance discussion of jury instructions; if the parties do not discuss them beforehand, counsel may have to do so during a break, and the parties should prepare agreed and disputed instruction sets.

The Court encourages the parties to discuss the jury instructions in advance, so they are prepared for trial. If the parties choose not to discuss the instructions in advance, counsel may be required to discuss the instructions during a break in the proceedings. The parties should be prepared to present to the Court a set of agreed instructions and a set of instructions on which the parties request the Court hear argument.

WARNING

Applies to

Motion reply or accompanying brief

Counsel should cite every case they intend to rely on in the motion and reply or in the accompanying brief.

Any cases upon which counsel intends to rely should be cited in the motion and reply or in the accompanying brief.

WARNING

Applies to

Criminal discovery hearing

In criminal matters, the Court should be provided with a copy at the hearing of any discovery materials that are the subject of the dispute between the parties so that the Court is able to rule on the sufficiency of the disclosure.

In criminal matters, the Court should be provided with a copy at the hearing of any discovery materials that are the subject of the dispute between the parties so that the Court is able to rule on the sufficiency of the disclosure.

WARNING

Applies to

Pre trial scheduling order

The parties should promptly submit an agreed Pre-Trial Scheduling Order.

The parties should submit an agreed upon Pre-Trial Scheduling Order promptly.

WARNING

Applies to

Certified copy request

A person requesting a certified copy of an order must provide the clerk’s office with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

If a certified copy of any order entered pursuant to a filing is requested of the Court, please provide the clerk’s office with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for that purpose.

WARNING

Applies to

Written pleading

A written pleading reflecting a scheduled hearing or trial date should be timely filed and provided to all parties using a Notice of Hearing, Praecipe, or consent Pretrial Scheduling Order.

A written pleading reflecting any scheduled hearing or trial date should be timely filed and provided to all parties by Notice of Hearing, Praecipe, or consent Pretrial Scheduling Order.

WARNING

Applies to

Motion response

Similarly, responses to the motion should clearly state: 1) any relevant facts on which the response relies or any corrections to the facts supplied by the movant; 2) all law on which the respondent relies; 3) argument in support of the denial of the motion.

Similarly, responses to the motion should clearly state: 1) any relevant facts on which the response relies or any corrections to the facts supplied by the movant; 2) all law on which the respondent relies; 3) argument in support of the denial of the motion.

INFO

Applies to

Motion

The Court encourages litigants to state a motion’s grounds with particularity, including relevant facts, supporting law, and argument.

The Court encourages litigants to state with particularity the grounds upon which the motion is based, to include: 1) any relevant facts on which the motion relies; 2) all law upon which the movant relies; 3) argument in support of the motion.

INFO

Applies to

Proposed order

The Court is assisted when the drafting party endorses a proposed order before forwarding it to the other parties for endorsement and filing with the Clerk.

It assists the Court if the party drafting the proposed order endorses the draft prior to forwarding it to the other parties for endorsement and delivery for filing with the Clerk.

INFO

Applies to

Opposition

If the opposing party objects, it is best practice for that party to prepare a sketch order for the Court to consider if it denies the motion.

If the opposing party has filed an objection to the motion, it is best practice for the opposing party to prepare a sketch order for the Court to consider in case the Court denies the motion.

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

A request for a different payment agreement requires a fully completed Form DC-211 with financial information and a selected payment option, filed with the Clerk’s Office; if approved, the applicant must execute Form CC-1379 there.

A person that owes fines or costs in this Court may request approval for a different payment agreement by (1) fully completing Form DC-211, including the section regarding financial information; (2) checking the appropriate box on the form to indicate whether the applicant would like to pay the amount owed “[ ] in periodic payments” or “[ ] in one payment due in full on a future date”; (3) filing the fully completed Form DC-211 in the Clerk’s Office; and (5) if an agreement is authorized, executing the payment agreement Form CC-1379 in the Clerk’s Office.

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

A person who previously defaulted may petition for another payment agreement by filing a fully completed Form DC-211 with financial information and a selected payment option; if approved, the person must execute Form CC-1379 in the Clerk’s Office.

A person that has previously defaulted may petition for a subsequent payment agreement by (1) fully completing Form DC-211, including the section regarding financial information; (2) checking the appropriate box on the form to indicate whether the applicant would like to pay the amount owed “[ ] in periodic payments” or “[ ] in one payment due in full on a future date”; (3) filing the fully completed Form DC-211 in the Clerk’s Office; and (5) if an agreement is authorized, executing the payment agreement Form CC-1379 in the Clerk’s Office.

CRITICALCriminal casesCourt notice

A modification request based on a good-faith showing of need requires a completed Form DC-211 with financial information, the modification box checked, the reason supplied, and the form filed with the Clerk’s Office; if approved, Form CC-1379 must be executed there.

A person that already has a payment agreement may request a modification based on a good faith showing of need by (1) fully completing Form DC-211, including the section regarding financial information; (2) checking the box on the form that states “[X] I respectfully ask the court to change my current payment agreement;” (3) filling in the section of the form regarding the reason for the request; (4) filing the fully completed Form DC-211 in the Clerk’s Office; and (6) if an agreement is authorized, executing the payment agreement Form CC-1379 in the Clerk’s Office.