Rocket Docket Litigation: A Business Litigator's Perspective on Practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

No federal court in the nation is faster or more efficient than the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Court has been known as the Rocket Docket for decades and its speed and procedures are enough to intimidate any lawyer that is not familiar with the court and its practices.

This course will take provide civil litigators with an overview of those practices, to allow those new to the EDVA an understanding of the litigation system there. It will also provide a refresher to other lawyers. The presentation will look at practice in all four divisions of the Court, which will be useful for lawyers that might be comfortable practicing in Alexandria, but not necessarily Richmond, Norfolk, or Newport News.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the history and culture of the EDVA civil litigation system and how the court differs between divisions and judges
2. Review the scheduling, deadlines, and discovery process for the court in the EDVA and its four divisions
3. Learn how the pretrial motions practice operates in the Rocket Docket
4. Review the trial procedures in the court, both for jury and bench trials