(a) Coordination attorney Except as otherwise provided in the rules in this chapter, all necessary administrative functions under this chapter will be performed at the direction of the Chair of the Judicial Council by a coordination attorney. (Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2016; previously amended effective January 1, 2005, and January 1, 2007.)
Rule 3.550.General administration by Judicial Council staff
Division 4. Parties and Actions · Chapter 7. Coordination of Complex Actions · Article 5. Administration of Coordinated Complex Actions · Last amended 2016 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.550 puts a Judicial Council coordination attorney in charge of the administrative backbone of coordination proceedings, requiring that attorney to track available coordination judges, keep a public register of every proceeding, and assign each proceeding its own title and case number.
Full Text of Rule 3.550
(b) Duties of coordination attorney The coordination attorney must at all times maintain:
(1) A list of active and retired judges who are qualified and currently available to conduct coordination proceedings; and
(2) A register of all coordination proceedings and a file for each proceeding, for public inspection during regular business hours at the San Francisco office of the Judicial Council. (Subd (b) amended and lettered effective January 1, 2005; previously adopted as part of subd (a) effective January 1, 2005.)
(c) Coordination proceeding title and case number The coordination attorney must assign each coordination proceeding a special title and coordination proceeding number. Thereafter all papers in that proceeding must bear that title and number. (Subd (c) amended and relettered effective January 1, 2005; adopted as subd (b).)
Plain-English Summary
California lets civil cases that share common questions but sit in different trial courts get coordinated before a single judge under Code of Civil Procedure section 404. Running that system across the state takes more than judicial rulings — it takes someone to track which judges are ready to take on a coordination assignment, keep the paperwork organized, and make sure the public can find out what is happening. Rule 3.550 hands that job to a coordination attorney who works at the direction of the Chair of the Judicial Council.
The coordination attorney keeps two lists running at all times: a roster of active and retired judges qualified and available to hear coordination proceedings, and a register of every coordination proceeding underway, complete with a file for each one that anyone can inspect during business hours at the Judicial Council's San Francisco office. When a new coordination proceeding starts, the coordination attorney gives it its own title and case number — separate from any county's ordinary docket numbering — and every paper filed afterward has to carry that title and number.
None of this changes how a coordination case gets decided. It is the administrative scaffolding that keeps a system spanning multiple courts and counties from becoming untraceable — a plain record-keeping function tucked at the close of the coordination chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a coordination attorney do?
The coordination attorney handles the administrative side of coordination proceedings for the Judicial Council: maintaining the roster of judges available to hear coordinated cases, keeping the public register and case files, and assigning each proceeding its title and case number.
Can the public look at coordination proceeding records?
Yes. Rule 3.550(b)(2) requires the coordination attorney to keep a file for each coordination proceeding open for public inspection during regular business hours at the Judicial Council's San Francisco office.
Why does a coordinated case get a special number?
Because a coordination proceeding can pull together related actions filed in different counties, it needs a title and case number of its own so parties, courts, and the public can track it as one matter rather than as scattered, separately numbered cases.
Does Rule 3.550 apply outside coordination proceedings?
No. It only covers the administrative functions Judicial Council staff perform for coordination proceedings under Chapter 7 of Division 4; other rules in that chapter address how coordination itself is requested and conducted.
Amendment History
Rule 3.550 amended effective January 1, 2016; adopted as rule 1550 effective January 1, 1974; previously amended effective January 1, 2005; previously amended and renumbered as rule 3.550 effective January 1, 2007.
Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from
the Judicial Council of California. Adopted by the Judicial Council of California.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: coordination attorney dutiesCalifornia coordination proceeding registerwho administers coordinated civil casesJudicial Council coordination staff rule