Important Information This page contains important information about Judge Wood’s case management procedures. These procedures have been designed to facilitate the prompt, efficient, and equitable disposition of cases on Judge Wood’s docket. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with these procedures in addition to the Local Rules for this District. When Judge Wood’s procedures differ from the Local Rules, please follow the procedures outlined here. The success of these procedures depends on your willingness to familiarize yourself with them and to act accordingly. Counsel will be expected to explain fully any failure to comply with Judge Wood’s pretrial procedures, as well as applicable Local Rules. Calendar Schedule Judge Andrea R. Wood --> Procedures to be followed in cases assigned to Judge Andrea R. Wood Bankruptcy Appeals For bankruptcy appeals, the Court will set a briefing schedule after the record has been compiled and transmitted pursuant to Fed. R. Bank. P. 8018. Cases Reassigned to Judge Andrea R. Wood The following procedure applies to cases that have been reassigned to Judge Wood after the parties have already appeared before the originally-assigned district court judge. Unless otherwise ordered, all previously-set hearing dates, deadlines, and schedules will remain in effect. Counsel for the parties shall confer and then prepare and file a joint Reassignment Status Report, not to exceed 5 pages, within 14 days of the order reassigning the case. If defense counsel has not yet filed an appearance, the Reassignment Status Report should be prepared by plaintiff’s counsel. A template for the Reassignment Status Report, setting forth the information required, may be found below. Initial Status Report For Reassigned Case Consent to Proceed Before a Magistrate Judge Too often litigants are unaware of the efficiencies to be gained by having their cases tried before United States Magistrate Judges. The court strongly encourages counsel to inform their clients of this option and to discuss it with opposing counsel. Consent to Proceed Before Magistrate Judge Correspondence with the Court Unless the Court directs otherwise, counsel and pro se litigants must not communicate with the Court about the merits of a case by letter, phone, or email (excluding the submission of a proposed order). All communications and requests for relief must be made in the form of a motion, brief, or a status report, and served on opposing counsel. Courtesy Copies Unless the Court directs otherwise, no courtesy copies may be submitted for filing. If the Court orders a party to provide paper courtesy copies, please deliver those copies to the drop-box outside the Courtroom Deputy’s office (Room 2140). Discovery Motion Practice The Court believes that parties can and should work out most discovery disputes and thus discourages the filing of discovery motions.

Discovery Motion Practice The Court believes that parties can and should work out most discovery disputes and thus discourages the filing of discovery motions. The Court will not hear or consider any discovery motion unless the movant has complied with the “meet and confer” requirement of Local Rule 37.2. The motion must state with specificity when and how the movant complied with Local Rule 37.2. Parties are reminded that compliance with Local Rule 37.2 requires a good faith effort to resolve discovery disputes and communication that takes place face to face or by telephone. The exchange of correspondence will not normally be sufficient to comply with Local Rule 37.2. All parties should be fully prepared to argue any discovery motion on the date that it is presented. The Court often will rule on discovery motions after hearing argument at the motion call and without briefing. If after hearing argument, the Court believes that the motion requires briefing, the Court normally will set an expedited briefing schedule so that the matter can be resolved promptly. Parties are reminded to notify the Court immediately if they are withdrawing any previously filed discovery motions. Parties are reminded that there is no “order” in which discovery must occur, and that one party’s failure or inability to respond to discovery will not excuse any other party’s prompt compliance. In addition, unless provided for under applicable law, the pendency of a dispositive motion does not, in itself, operate to stay discovery. Electronic Discovery Disputes If the parties have reached an impasse regarding the discovery of voluminous records from a database, server, computer, service provider or similar electronic storage facility (ESF), before a motion to compel is filed, the parties are required to meet and confer with an IT representative of the ESF to be searched in order to determine the most effective way to retrieve the requested material. The party seeking the discovery must also bring its IT specialist to this meeting in order to discuss the proper format for the retrieval of the records. This electronic discovery conference may take place in person or by telephone, and both sides should be prepared to discuss specifically the parameters of both the search and the ESF. For information regarding the Voluntary E-Mediation Program, please refer to: http://www.discoverypilot.com/content/e-mediation-program