These 36 rules apply across King County Superior Court. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.
Counsel/parties must jointly complete the witness examination estimate form and email it to the bailiff at scott.court@kingcounty.gov as soon as possible.
Each courtroom has a designated email address in the form [judge's last name.court]@kingcounty.gov that counsel (or their staff) must use when communicating with court staff by email.
Commissioners' departments have no individual email addresses; the family law, ex parte, and mental health departments each share a single departmental email address.
Time estimates on the form must be expressed in tenths of hours and the completed form must be totaled.
Trial length estimates must assume a 5-hour trial day and account for witness exams, jury questions in civil cases, opening and closing arguments, voir dire, and motions in limine.
Parties may use the court's form or their own form, provided it includes the requested information.
Counsel must confer to determine cross-examination time estimates for each party's witnesses and jointly prepare the form.
Each additional party must create and complete the witness examination information for that party's witnesses.
Failure to complete the form and disclose witnesses may result in exclusion of witnesses or other sanctions.
The witness examination estimate form must not be filed with the clerk's office; it is submitted to the bailiff by email instead.
Email may not be used to deliver working copies of legal pleadings, including jury instructions, without prior permission of the court.
Exhibits may be submitted digitally or in hardcopy, and the Order from Pretrial Conference in each case specifies which format is ordered.
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Judge Elizabeth J. Berns sits on the King County Superior Court, Washington's trial court of general jurisdiction for King County.
This judge's procedures are published through the court's general rules; no individual procedure documents are listed.
Judge Elizabeth J. Berns' formatting rule includes file format docx and submitted in ms word format so judge berns can e-sign and e-serve orders electronically. Proposed orders must be submitted in MS Word format so the judge can e-sign and e-serve them electronically.
The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. An uncited set of jury instructions with no proposing-party identification and a cover page titled 'Court's Instructions to the Jury' must be provided, emailed to the bailiff in Word format.
The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. Findings of Fact must be limited to essential ultimate facts and Conclusions of Law to essential legal conclusions.
Yes. Electronic filing is required for the covered filings. Working papers must be submitted through the Clerk's Office Electronic Portal after e-filing; working copies sent by email are not accepted.
The rule addresses filing timing, filing status, or cure windows. Proposed jury instructions must be served and filed before trial begins, per the local rules.
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: method: e-service, recipient: all parties. Parties are responsible for registering for e-service through the Clerk's Office.
Working papers must be submitted through the Clerk's Office Electronic Portal after e-filing; working copies sent by email are not accepted.
Proposed orders must be submitted in MS Word format so the judge can e-sign and e-serve them electronically.
Parties are responsible for registering for e-service through the Clerk's Office.
In civil cases, Clerk's Copy exhibit binders must be separated by numbered tabs per the Pre-Trial Order and marked by the courtroom clerk before trial begins.
In criminal cases, official Clerk's Copy exhibits must be marked by the courtroom clerk before the start of trial.
Proposed jury instructions must be served and filed before trial begins, per the local rules.
Cited proposed jury instructions must be provided as one hard copy and one electronic copy, numbered, identified by proposing party, with supporting annotations, with the court's copy emailed to the bailiff in Word format.
An uncited set of jury instructions with no proposing-party identification and a cover page titled 'Court's Instructions to the Jury' must be provided, emailed to the bailiff in Word format.
In non-jury cases, proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law must be submitted promptly after the trial or hearing concludes.
Findings of Fact must be limited to essential ultimate facts and Conclusions of Law to essential legal conclusions.
Objections to proposed Findings and Conclusions must be presented to the court in writing after the trial concludes.