(a) Generally. — The court, on motion or on its own initiative, may direct all parties to appear before it for a conference before trial. If the court directs, each party shall file not later than five days before the conference a written statement addressing the matters listed in section (b) of this Rule.
Rule 2-504.2.Pretrial conference
Circuit Court · Last amended January 1, 2004 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2-504.2 lets a Maryland circuit court call the parties together before trial to narrow the issues, line up exhibits and witnesses, and enter a pretrial order that governs the rest of the case.
Full Text of Rule 2-504.2
(b) Matters to be considered. — The following matters may be considered at a pretrial conference:
(1) A brief statement by each plaintiff of the facts to be relied on in support of a claim;
(2) A brief statement by each defendant of the facts to be relied on as a defense to a claim;
(3) Similar statements as to any counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim;
(4) Any amendments required of the pleadings;
(5) Simplification or limitation of issues;
(6) Stipulations of fact or, if unable to agree, a statement of matters of which any party requests an admission;
(7) The details of the damage claimed or any other relief sought as of the date of the pretrial conference;
(8) A listing of the documents and records to be offered in evidence by each party at the trial, other than those expected to be used solely for impeachment, indicating which documents the parties agree may be offered in evidence without the usual authentication and separately identifying those that the party may offer only if the need arises;
(9) A listing by each party of the name, address, and telephone number of each non-expert whom the party expects to call as a witness at trial (other than those expected to be used solely for impeachment) separately identifying those whom the party may call only if the need arises;
(10) A listing by each party of those witnesses whose testimony is expected to be presented by means of a deposition (other than those expected to be used solely for impeachment) and a transcript of the pertinent portions of any deposition testimony that was not taken stenographically;
(11) A listing by each party of the names and specialties of experts the party proposes to call as witnesses;
(12) Any other matter that the party wishes to raise at the conference.
(c) Pretrial order. — The court shall enter an order that recites in detail the decisions made at the conference. The order controls the subsequent course of the action but may be modified by the court to prevent manifest injustice.
Amendment History
Added June 7, 1994, effective Oct. 1, 1994; Nov. 12, 2003, effective Jan. 1, 2004.
Committee Note & Source
Source. Prior to 1994, this Rule was numbered Rule 2-504. It is derived from former Rule 504 a, b, and c, the 1937 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 16, and the 2000 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 (a) (3).
Plain-English Summary
A circuit court can order a pretrial conference on its own, or a party can ask for one. When the court sets a conference, it can require each side to file a written statement five days ahead of time covering the topics the rule lists: the facts behind each claim and defense, needed amendments to the pleadings, stipulated facts, the damages sought, and lists of documents, witnesses, and depositions the party plans to use at trial. The rule also lets a party flag anything else worth discussing before the trial starts.
After the conference, the judge enters an order spelling out what was decided. That order takes over as the roadmap for the rest of the case — it controls how the trial proceeds unless the court later changes it to avoid an unfair result. Because the pretrial order can lock in which witnesses and exhibits a party may use, preparing the written statement carefully matters as much as the conference itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Maryland circuit court have to hold a pretrial conference?
No. The court can call one on its own initiative or grant a party's motion for one, but nothing in the rule makes a pretrial conference automatic in every case.
What has to go in the pretrial statement?
If the court orders conferences under this rule, each party files a written statement five days beforehand. It can cover the facts supporting claims and defenses, proposed amendments to the pleadings, stipulated or disputed facts, the damages or relief sought, and lists of exhibits, non-expert witnesses, deposition witnesses, and expert witnesses the party intends to use at trial.
Can the pretrial order be changed after the conference?
Yes. The order controls the rest of the case, but the court can modify it later to prevent a manifest injustice.
Does leaving a witness off the pretrial statement keep them out of trial?
The rule has parties list the non-expert and expert witnesses they expect to call, separately flagging any they may call only if the need arises. Because the resulting pretrial order controls how the trial proceeds, an incomplete witness list can limit who a party may call later.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: Maryland pretrial conference rulepretrial statement deadline Marylandpretrial order Maryland circuit courtMd Rule 2-504.2