EDLA Practice Bootcamp Philip Dore Patrick Reagin (504) 581-7979 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

12/7/16 EDLA Practice Bootcamp Philip Dore Patrick Reagin (504) 581-7979 Direct pdore@Liskow.com preagin@Liskow.com A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 1

OVERVIEW • Anatomy of a Civil Case • Local Rules • Scheduling Orders • Subject Matter Jurisdiction • Motion Practice • Time and Project Management New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 2

ANATOMY OF A CIVIL CASE A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 3

OVERVIEW • Filing of Complaint (or • Dispositive and Daubert Notice of Removal) Motions • Service of Process • Pre-Trial Order and Pre- Trial Conference • Responsive Pleadings • Motions in Limine and Pre- • Initial Disclosures Trial Memoranda • Scheduling Conference and • Trial Order • Post-Trial Motions • Discovery (written and • Appeal depositions) New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 4

FILING OF COMPLAINT • CM/ECF • Subject Matter Jurisdiction • Rules 8 and 9 New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 5

SERVICE OF PROCESS • Content? – Rule 4(c)(1) – Summons and Complaint – Rule 4(c)(1) • By whom? – Rule 4(c)(2) – Any non-party over 18 • How? – Rule 4(e), (h) – State law, personal service, domiciliary service, service on agent • When? – Rule 4(m) – 90 days after complaint New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 6

RESPONSIVE PLEADINGS • When? – 21 days after service – Rule 12(a)(1) – If removed, (usually) 7 days – Rule 81(c)(2) • Types? – Answer – Rule 12(b) motions • **Waiver** – Rule 12(h) New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 7

INITIAL DISCLOSURES • Content? – Rule 26(a)(1) – Identify individuals w/ discoverable info – Provide or describe relevant documents • When? – Rule 26(a)(1) – Usually before scheduling conference New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 8

SCHEDULING CONFERENCE AND ORDER • Scheduling conference – Who? – parties and case manager – When? – varies • **Scheduling Order** – Rule 16(b) – Trial and pre-trial deadlines – Calendar, calendar, calendar – *Extensions* – Rule 16(b)(4) • No informal extensions (unlike state court) • Standard = good cause New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 9

WRITTEN DISCOVERY • Types – (1) Requests for Admission (Rule 36) – (2) Interrogatories (Rule 33) – (3) Requests for Production (Rule 34) • Response Deadline? – 30 days • Procedure – Served on parties ( not filed in record) New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 10

DEPOSITIONS • Types – Fact witness – Corporate representative – Rule 30(b)(6) • Procedure – Notice of deposition served on all parties • Special rules for corporate rep. – Subpoena New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 11

DISPOSITIVE AND DAUBERT MOTIONS • Dispositive motions a/k/a motions for summary judgment – Beware local rules – Beware scheduling order and court preferences • Daubert motions a/k/a motions in limine to exclude expert testimony New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 12

PRE-TRIAL ORDER AND PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE • Pre-Trial Order – Scheduling Order and Pre-Trial Notice – Supersedes previous pleadings – Don’t screw it up • Pre-Trial Conference – In chambers w/ opposing counsel – Prepare for trial New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 13

MOTIONS IN LIMINE AND PRE- TRIAL MEMORNDA • Motions in Limine – Examples: exclude evidence, limit testimony – Deadline – Scheduling order • Pre-Trial Memoranda – Examples (bench trial) – proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law – Examples (jury trial) – proposed voir dire, jury instructions, and jury interrogatories – Deadline – scheduling order New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 14

TRIAL • Voir dire/jury selection • Opening statements • Plaintiff’s case • Defendant’s motion for judgment as a matter of law (aka directed verdict) • Defendant’s case • Plaintiff’s rebuttal • Closing Statements • Jury deliberations and verdict (if jury); submission of post-trial memoranda (if bench) New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 15

POST-TRIAL MOTIONS • Motion for New Trial or Amended Judgment – Rule 59(e) – Deadline: 28 days after judgment • Motion for Relief from a Judgment – Rule 60 – Deadline: w/in one year of judgment or “reasonable time,” depending on basis New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 16

APPEAL • How? – File Notice of Appeal in record – Rule 3(a) • When? – 30 days (or 60 days if U.S. is a party) – Rule 4(a)(1) New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 17

QUESTIONS? A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 18

SELECTED LOCAL RULES A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 19

Local Rules • LR 5.4 – Certificate of Service • LR 5.6 – Procedure for Filing under Seal New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 20

Local Rules • LR 7.7 – Length of Pleadings – 25 pages for motion and response – 10 pages for reply • LR 7.8 – Extension of Time to Plead – One automatic 21-day extension New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 21

Local Rules • LR 33.1, 33.2, 34.1 – Responses to Discovery • LR 78.1 – Oral Argument • LR 83.2.9 – Familiarity with the Record New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 22

Local Rules • LR 72.1 – Automatic Referral to Magistrate – Civil discovery motions – Contested amendments, extensions, etc New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 23

SCHEDULING ORDERS A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 24

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SMJ: FILING AND REMOVAL A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 32

Subject Matter Jurisdiction: Filing and Removal • Federal Question – 28 U.S.C. 1331 • Diversity – 28 U.S.C. 1332 • Removal – 28 U.S.C. 1441 New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 33

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Subject Matter Jurisdiction: Filing and Removal • Removal: – File notice within 30 days of receipt of the first paper from which jurisdiction is apparent – 28 U.S.C. 1446(b)(2)(B) – 1-year outer limit – All defendants “properly joined and served” must consent – 28 U.S.C. 1446(b)(2) New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 35

Subject Matter Jurisdiction: Filing and Removal • Notice of Removal – Short and plain statement of grounds for removal – Copies of all state court process, pleading and orders – 28 U.S.C. 1446(a) New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 36

Subject Matter Jurisdiction: Filing and Removal • Diversity jurisdiction: Pleading citizenship – Residence v. citizenship – Corporation – LLCs and unincorporated New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 37

MOTION PRACTICE A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 38

• Submission dates – Local Rule 7.2 – Applies to contested motions only – Motion filed 15 days before submission date – Response due 8 days before submission date – Reply may be filed up until submission date • Requires leave of court • Magistrate or district judge? New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 39

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POINTERS • Clear exhibits • Importance of introduction • Record citations and conclusion • Legal standard (don’t waste • Roadmap time) • Transitions • Court’s prior rulings • Full-sentence headers • Courtesy binders • Less is more • Address opponent’s arguments • Use bolding and italics for directly emphasis but don’t overuse • Parenthetical citations • Tone • Don’t over -litigate New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 42

TIME AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT A Professional Law Corporation New Orleans | Lafayette | Houston 43