Rule 7.1.Civil

Rule 7.1 gives the assigned judge control over whether a case gets a pretrial conference before it goes to trial. The judge can call one without anyone asking, or a party can request one, and the decision turns on how complicated the case is and how much preparation time it needs. Not every case gets this treatment — the rule assumes the judge will use judgment about which cases benefit from a sit-down before trial.

When a conference is ordered, the court publishes a calendar or issues a written order telling the parties when and where to appear. The judge looks at the issues raised under the Civil Practice Act’s own pretrial conference provision, among other things. The lawyer who shows up has to be the one who will try the case at trial, not a substitute — though the court can allow another attorney of record to stand in if that attorney has authority to define the issues and enter stipulations on the client’s behalf.

Counsel must bring a written proposed pretrial order to the conference, or earlier if the court orders it in writing. Skipping the conference without a legal excuse, or showing up without a proposed order, gives the court real leverage: it can pull the case off the trial calendar, draft its own pretrial order instead of the parties’, or impose another sanction. The one sanction the rule takes off the table is dismissing the action with prejudice — noncompliance can cost a party time and control over the case, but it cannot end the case outright.