Telephone calls regarding civil and criminal cases should be directed to Judge Pappert's Courtroom Deputy Clerk, Katie Rolon, at 267-299-7530. Direct communication with law clerks is prohibited.

Absent an order stating otherwise, any brief or memorandum filed in support of or in opposition to a motion must be limited to 25 pages of double-spaced 12-point font, excluding the table of contents, table of authorities, and any attachments or exhibits. The use of footnotes is discouraged. If absolutely necessary, footnotes are to be used sparingly and should not contain citations to textual matter. Reply briefs must be filed within seven days of the date that a non-moving party files its opposition brief, may not exceed ten pages, and must be limited to issues newly raised in the opposing party's response. Sur-reply briefs are not permitted unless leave to file is granted upon motion of a party. Any brief longer than ten pages shall include a table of contents and table of authorities. Failure to comply with any of these requirements may result in the brief or memorandum being stricken from the record and not considered by the Court.

Absent an order stating otherwise, any brief or memorandum filed in support of or in opposition to a motion must be limited to 25 pages of double-spaced 12-point font, excluding the table of contents, table of authorities, and any attachments or exhibits.

Reply briefs must be filed within seven days of the date that a non-moving party files its opposition brief, may not exceed ten pages, and must be limited to issues newly raised in the opposing party's response. Sur-reply briefs are not permitted unless leave to file is granted upon motion of a party.

Public policy favors transparency in judicial proceedings. Protective orders and confidentiality agreements undermine such transparency and complicate the resolution of cases at both the trial and appellate level. They should be used sparingly and narrowly tailored. The Court will approve protective orders, confidentiality agreements and stipulated protective orders, where absolutely necessary and for good cause shown. No protective order or confidentiality agreement will be approved without language providing that "the court reserves its inherent power to modify the terms of this agreement and permit the disclosure of information where the interest of justice so requires." The fact that the parties have designated materials or information as confidential pursuant to agreement or stipulated order does not mean that the Court will order filings containing such information placed under seal. The public has a presumed right of access to judicial records and documents. Any party wishing to shield such records and documents from public view must prove why the interest in secrecy outweighs the presumption of public access.

If Judge Pappert believes oral argument will be helpful in deciding a matter, he will schedule it, particularly when it involves a dispositive motion. A party desiring oral argument should request it by letter or in the body of the motion or responsive pleading.

Parties are expected to adhere to all dates contained in the Scheduling Order unless there is a compelling reason to justify a change. Counsel should advise the Court immediately of any compelling reason justifying an extension or continuance of any scheduled date. Circumstances which do not constitute compelling reasons for the extension of a scheduled date include, but are not limited to, settlement negotiations, scheduling difficulties in the "summer months," counsel's obligations in other cases and not diligently conducting discovery prior to the request for an extension. Such a request may be made by letter, describing in detail the basis for the request, noting the agreement or disagreement of all other counsel and setting forth the period of delay requested. A request for an extension or continuance of the date on which the case is listed for trial or the deadline for filing dispositive motions will rarely be granted and will only be considered in extraordinary circumstances.

Judge Pappert encourages parties to address routine discovery disputes through the scheduling of a telephone conference. The parties, however, shall make a reasonable effort to resolve discovery disputes before seeking Court intervention. Judge Pappert may require the parties to submit a joint letter to chambers explaining the dispute and requested relief prior to any telephone conference. If a discovery dispute is not resolved following a conference and a motion to compel becomes necessary, the motion and any supporting memorandum, together, shall not exceed 5 pages of double-spaced 12-point font. The responding party may file a response within 5 days, also limited to 5 pages of double-spaced 12-point font.