Any brief or memorandum is limited to 25 pages unless counsel obtains leave of court for longer submissions.

Any brief or memorandum is limited to 25 pages unless counsel obtains leave of court for longer submissions.

Any party wishing to raise disputed discovery or other pretrial matters must arrange for a conference with the court before filing any motion, briefs, or accompanying materials. The party must email or fax the case manager, Glenda Hassan, and opposing counsel to arrange for a pre-motion conference. The email address is Glenda_Hassan@txs.uscourts.gov; the fax number is (713) 250-5213; and the telephone number is (713) 250-5516. The court will promptly schedule the pre-motion conference, generally within a few days after the request is made. The court may order counsel, and counsel may ask, to participate by Zoom or by other virtual link or telephone. The party seeking the conference must submit a one-to-two page letter to the court with copies to all counsel and unrepresented parties, identifying the disputes and setting out the issues to be addressed. This is not a brief and may not set out case law or argument. Instead, the letter is an agenda for the pre-motion conference. Opposing parties must respond in similar fashion before the Conference, with the same limits. The letters must include a written statement that counsel have conferred in a good-faith effort to resolve the issues but are unable to reach an agreement, or state the reason that the parties could not confer. To the extent possible, the disputed issues will be resolved at the pre-motion conference, without the need for a formal motion or response. If the court cannot resolve all or part of the issues raised without a written submission and response, the issues to be addressed and a filing schedule will be set in the conference.