Case Management and Litigation Deadlines
Scheduling
A case management order sets deadlines for amendments, discovery, expert disclosures, dispositive motions, and trial, and may address discovery limits, ESI protocols, privilege procedures, and phasing.
In complex litigation, successive numbered orders govern distinct aspects of the proceeding.
Alternative Names:
CMO, Scheduling and Case Management Order
Why it Matters?
The order supersedes the default rules, so deadlines and limits in it control regardless of what the civil rules provide. Modifying it after entry requires good cause and diligence, which courts apply seriously, so unrealistic dates agreed at the outset become genuine constraints later. Negotiating expert disclosure sequencing and discovery limits at the scheduling conference is worth more attention than it usually receives.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Can case management deadlines be extended?
Does the order override the civil rules?
