Hon. Peter Chang

A courtesy copy of any pleadings filed within 5 court days of a hearing should be dropped off in Dept. 7’s mailbox located upstairs next to the elevator to ensure it would be considered for the hearing.

Do not email courtesy copies to the department unless the court has requested it.

Pre-trial discovery requests must comply with Family Code Section 6309.

Before trial, the parties are ordered to comply with the following requirements in addition to the Local Rules of Court. The Court will not accept late documents without good cause. Failure to comply may result in sanctions being imposed or a delay in the trial.

If any matter is resolved prior to the parties’ court appearance, the parties may email the department with a joint written request to vacate the court appearance. Appearances are required unless the parties receive an email reply that the request to vacate was received and approved by the court.

No other requests, briefs, documents, reports may be emailed unless the court explicitly grants permission, in which case, the words, “by court permission” should be included in the subject line. Do not email courtesy copies; instead, drop them in Dept. 7’s mailbox inside the courthouse.

Be precise, clear and concise in the relief requested. All requests must be contained in your Request for Order (FL –300).  Requests in the declarations will not be considered by the court. The court will not consider supplemental filings absent good cause.  The trio of documents the court considers are the RFO, the RESPONSE (FL-320) and the REPLY only.

The court will not consider late filed pleadings, declarations or exhibits.

Dept. 7 permits exhibits to declarations or memoranda to exceed 10 pages.  However, exhibits exceeding 10 pages must have specific pages of the exhibits that the party would like the court to consider pin cited in the declaration or memoranda.  Pages of the exhibits not pin cited in the declaration or memoranda may not be considered by the court. 

If AI is used to prepare any filings in any way (including for legal research), that fact must be disclosed in the filing itself.

Represented parties must comply with Local Rule 5.7.

Self-represented parties must complete the settlement conference worksheet [link], serve it on the other party, and bring it to court for the settlement conference. 

Parties are required to appear in person UNLESS both parties agree to appear by Zoom.  If parties agree to appear by Zoom, parties must notify the court by a joint email at least 1 day in advance of the settlement conference. 

link

For short-cause matters, parties may appear in person or remotely over Zoom. Parties do not need to submit written requests to appear remotely. Remote appearances require the party to appear by both audio and video means. 

Court may require in-person appearances should technical difficulties emerge.

Observers on Zoom should state “Observer” as screen name. No witnesses to pending matters or minors whose parents are in court may observe.

In-person appearance is required for long cause, domestic violence hearings, trials, contempt hearings, and other evidentiary hearings. 

Dept. 7 will accept SIGNED written stipulations and proposed orders for consideration. This must be a stand-alone document.  NON-CLETS stipulated restraining orders will not be accepted.

Parties must submit, with the Stipulation, an Amended DV -110 (TRO), Amended DV -140 (if applicable), or an Amended DV -130 (ROAH). The three forms MUST state the terms of the Stipulation (in other words, the forms cannot merely reference the Stipulation). Stipulations are subject to court review and order and, if applicable, findings pursuant to FC Section 3044.

Parties shall serve and lodge trial exhibits and exhibit lists at least 7 days before trial. The exhibits are to be pre-marked and labeled—numbers for Petitioner (e.g. Pet. Ex. 001) and letters for Respondent (e.g., Resp. Ex. A). Exhibits should be “Bates” stamped or numbered through a sequential numbering program. (PDF generated page numbers are acceptable). Exhibits may be lodged electronically (thumb drive) or paper (binders). If the original exhibit is in color, any duplicate must be in color.

Parties shall prepare a table of exhibits with two columns, labeled “Identified” and “Admitted” for the Courtroom Clerk on the day of trial.

Provide electronic or hard copies of the exhibits for the witnesses who appear remotely.

Prior to date of trial, parties shall meet and confer for the purposes of stipulating to the authenticity and admissibility of documents, where possible.

The Court will destroy all exhibits not admitted into evidence at the close of the trial after notice is provided or return them to the parties, by arrangement with the courtroom clerk.

See Trial Protocol below for additional requirements.

Stipulations/Meet and Confer:
At least five days before trial, the parties must meet and confer to stipulate to facts, and admissibility and authenticity of documentary evidence, and attempt to resolve disputes about evidence, motions in limine, order of witnesses and sequencing of the case.

Manner of Service:
Any document served on another party 7 days or fewer before trial must be served by hand delivery, or, if the receiving party has agreed, by electronic mail.

Be on Time:
If any party anticipates being late, please employ professional courtesy by contacting Department 7 at (925) 608-1107 and opposing counsel or party. 

Court Hours:
For parties and counsel: Court hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Generally, trials begin at 9 a.m. (morning trials) or 1:30 p.m. (afternoon trials). Each day, mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks of 15 minutes are taken as well as a noon recess from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.

Technology:
Parties must resolve all audio/visual issues before start of trial.  Parties may contact the court clerk for an opportunity to set up or test audio/visual equipment outside of regular court hours.

Have Witnesses Ready:
Parties must have their witness ready to testify by sitting in the court room, or out in the hallway. For witnesses permitted to appear via Zoom, they will remain in the waiting room until called to testify.

Scheduling Issues:
Notify the Court as soon as possible of any scheduling problems. Any need for an Evidence Code § 402 or other pre-trial hearing should be discussed at the trial readiness conference.

During Trial:
Counsel and witness should seek permission to enter the well or approach a witness. But, once permission is given, there is no need to ask again.

Closing Trial Briefs:
In lieu of, or in addition to, oral closing arguments, the court may request counsel to submit a closing trial brief summarizing the issues presented at trial and referencing the evidence supporting the relief requested. Closing trial briefs shall not exceed 20 pages without leave of the court. Parties are to meet and confer on a proposed briefing schedule. After briefing is completed, the court may set a short-cause hearing prior to taking the matter under submission so the court may have a further opportunity to address issues after reviewing the closing briefs. 

Parties shall serve and file a list of all non-expert witnesses at least 7 days before trial. Parties will be responsible for serving trial subpoenas on witnesses. Only witnesses identified on the witness list will be permitted to testify. Witness lists should include a brief statement / offer of proof summarizing the testimony anticipated to be given by each witness.