Docket Information

COVID-19 Emergency Procedures

See the November 23, 2020, Loudoun Circuit Court Second Transition Plan (PDF) and April 29, 2020, Order Establishing Temporary Hearing Procedures (PDF) before filing your praecipe.

Forms

• Civil motions praecipe (Remote) (PDF) 
• Civil scheduling praecipe (Remote) (PDF)

Circuit Court 2021 Schedule (PDF)

Civil Scheduling

• Civil scheduling is held Monday and Tuesday (except holidays) at 9:00 a.m.
• At this time, all scheduling matters will be conducted by telephone by calling 571-258-3708.   Counsel and self-represented parties are expected to call in and remain in the telephone queue until their call is answered. There is no in person scheduling option.
  • PLEASE NOTE: Scheduling by phone begins at 9:00 a.m. All calls placed prior to 9:00 a.m. will not go into the queue and will not be answered. 
  • The Docket Manager will wait 10 minutes after answering the final call in the queue before logging out.
• All praecipes must be filed with the Civil Division at least 10 calendar days prior to the proposed date for the matter to be heard by the Circuit Court. Failure to timely file a praecipe will result in the matter not being placed on the requested docket.
  • If the deadline falls on a Saturday, the deadline to file the praecipe will be the prior business day (Friday).

Civil Motions Day

• Civil motions are heard on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Friday of each month. Civil Motions will be conducted by remote hearing absent prior leave of Court for good cause shown. 
• Motions are scheduled as follows:
  • 9:00 a.m. – Uncontested civil motions/agreed order presentment (2 mins or less)
  • 10:00 a.m. – Contested non-domestic motions
  • 2:00 p.m. – Contested domestic-related motions (including but not limited to pendente lite motions on support issues) and ore tenus divorce proceedings
• All praecipes must be filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at least 14 calendar days prior to the proposed date for the matter to be heard by the Circuit Court. Failure to timely file a praecipe will result in the matter not being placed on the requested docket.

• Exhibits

  • All proposed evidentiary documents for civil motions shall be filed at least 7 days prior to the hearing. Exhibits that are not timely filed shall not be considered.

• Time Limit

  • All motions are expected not to exceed a total of 20 minutes per case, except pendente lite motions.
  • If believed to exceed 20 minutes, a time estimate should be noted on the praecipe and/or in the opposition brief.
    • Motions exceeding 20 minutes may be heard on the Friday Motions Docket, or may be specially set, in the discretion of the presiding judge.
  • A movant/party is limited to one motion per case on a given motions day.

• Page Limits

  • Motions are limited to 3 pages; a motion shall concisely set forth only the facts relied upon and the relief requested (i.e., no authority) and shall be filed at least 14 days prior to the scheduled motions day.  
  • Briefs must accompany a motion, shall be limited to 5 pages, and shall be filed at least 14 days prior to the scheduled motions day.  
  • If the motion is contested, responses to motions must be filed, shall be limited to 5 pages, and shall be filed at least 7 days prior to the scheduled motion.  
  • The Court may permit deviations from the above page limits upon motions for good cause shown.

• Pendente Lite Motions

  • Pendente Lite hearings are not for custody and parenting time (i.e., visitation) disputes. If parties wish to have custody and visitation matters decided, they may request a final hearing at a civil scheduling docket, which the Court will endeavor to expedite on its calendar.
  • Exhibits
  • Both parties shall file all exhibits no later than 7 days prior to the hearing. Exhibits that are not timely filed and exchanged shall not be considered.
  • Exhibits should include, if applicable, a party’s most recent W2 or 1099, the last two pay statements, evidence of periodic health insurance paid on behalf of the child(ren), evidence of work-related childcare expenses, an income and expense statement, and a completed proposed support guideline worksheet.  
  • Pendente lite motions will be allocated 30 minutes as follows: moving party’s testimony proffered (5 minutes); cross-examination of moving party (5 minutes); responding party’s testimony proffered (5 minutes); cross examination of responding party (5 minutes); 10 minutes reserved for any questions from the Court, review of exhibits, and ruling.  The time limits herein will be strictly enforced.   
  • Parties are strongly encouraged to file written stipulations as part of their exhibit filings.

• Motions to Compel

  • In all motions to compel discovery responses, and oppositions thereto, the parties shall file an excel-type spreadsheet.  
  • The spreadsheet shall identify at a minimum: 
    • (a) the verbatim interrogatory, document request and/or request for admission at issue; 
    • (b) the responding party’s verbatim answer and/or objection; and 
    • (c) a summary of the moving party’s basis for requesting an order to compel.  
  • The spreadsheet shall be filed with the motion at least 14 days prior to argument on the motion. An opposition spreadsheet shall be filed at least 7 days prior to argument on the motions.  
  • Parties are strongly encouraged, but not required, to file a joint spreadsheet 14 days prior to argument on the motion. The spreadsheet requirement shall take the place of the briefing requirement.

• Guardian Ad Litem Reports

  • Guardian ad Litem reports in guardianship, conservatorship and infant settlement cases shall be filed at least 7 days prior to the hearing. Failure to file the Guardian ad Litem report in a timely manner will result in the case being removed from the docket or rescheduled. 
  • Movants in a guardianship, conservatorship or infant settlement case are strongly encouraged to communicate with the Guardian ad Litem to ensure the report will be timely filed in anticipation of the scheduled hearing date.
• All motions initially will be scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., as appropriate and parties are expected to be available to participate remotely when contacted by the Court. 
  • Failure to be available and ready to participate remotely may, in the Court’s discretion, result in (a) a motion being heard without a responding party’s participation; (b) the motion being placed at the end of the docket; or (c) removal of the motion.  
  • Notwithstanding the above, each presiding judge may, in the judge’s discretion, organize the assigned docket and set and announce each motion for a time certain throughout the docket.
• The Court in its discretion may remove and specifically set for argument any motion that, in its judgment, requires a lengthier hearing.  Due to volume, the Court sua sponte may reassign a motion(s) to the next available docket.
• Parties may continue to request rulings on any motion (except motions to compel discovery responses and motions for sanctions for failure to respond to discovery) based only on filed briefs by waiving oral argument and notifying the Court of this preference.  The above requirement for briefs applies, but parties need not appear on a motions day, but rather jointly notify the Court in writing (with an email copy to the lead staff attorney at [email protected]) that oral argument is waived.

Civil Trial Information

Please review the Loudoun County Circuit Courts Second Transition Plan (PDF) dated November 23, 2020 for information pertaining to bench trials, jury trials, trial exhibits and appeals.