The rules in this division are to be construed and administered to secure the fair, timely, and efficient disposition of every civil case. The rules are to be applied in a fair, practical, and flexible manner so as to achieve the ends of justice.
Rule 3.700.Scope and purpose of the case management rules
Division 7. Civil Case Management · Chapter 1. General Provisions · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.700 opens Division 7 by declaring that every case management rule that follows must be read and applied to secure a fair, timely, and efficient resolution of each civil case, using flexibility and practicality rather than rigid formality to serve justice.
Full Text of Rule 3.700
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3.700 is short, but it does real work. It is the lead-in to every rule in Division 7 — the whole body of California civil case management law — and it tells judges and lawyers how to read everything that follows. The goal is not speed for its own sake; it is fair, timely, and efficient disposition of every civil case, three values the rule refuses to rank against each other.
The second half of the rule sets the tone for how courts should apply that goal. Case management rules are not meant to be treated as rigid checklists divorced from the facts of an individual case. Courts are told to apply them in a fair, practical, and flexible manner, aimed at the ends of justice rather than mechanical compliance. That instruction shows up throughout the rest of Division 7, where courts get real discretion to fit case management tools to the case in front of them rather than a one-size-fits-all script.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Rule 3.700 require courts to do?
Nothing specific on its own. It is a scope-and-purpose statement that sets the interpretive standard for every other rule in Division 7's case management chapters, directing courts to apply them for fair, timely, and efficient case disposition.
Does Rule 3.700 create deadlines?
No. Specific deadlines and procedures come from the rules later in Division 7, such as the 180-day case management review in Rule 3.721. Rule 3.700 only sets the purpose those later rules serve.
Why does the rule mention flexibility?
Because case management covers every kind of civil case, from a simple collections matter to sprawling multi-party litigation. The rule tells courts to apply its procedures practically rather than rigidly, so the same framework can fit very different cases.
Amendment History
Rule 3.700 amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007; adopted as rule 204 effective January 1, 2004.
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: scope of California case management rulesCRC 3.700 purpose statementfair timely efficient disposition civil caseDivision 7 case management intent