(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 3-504.Pretrial conference
District Court · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-504 lets the District Court call the parties in for a pretrial conference to narrow the issues, sort out the evidence, and streamline the case before trial.
Full Text of Rule 3-504
(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;
(9) A listing by each party of the names and specialties of experts the party proposes to call as witnesses;
(10) Any other matter that the party wishes to raise at the conference.
(c) Pretrial order. — The court may enter an order that recites 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.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is derived from former M.D.R. 504 and FRCP 16.
Plain-English Summary
A pretrial conference is a working meeting before trial where the court and the parties sort out what is in dispute. Rule 3-504 lets the judge order one, either on a party's motion or on the court's own initiative, and requires each side to file a written statement in advance covering the topics in section (b) — unless the court says otherwise.
Those topics run from the substantive (what facts support the claim or defense, what damages are being sought, what admissions the parties can agree to) to the logistical (which documents will be offered as evidence, which experts will testify and in what specialty, which pleadings still need amending). The list in section (b) is not exhaustive — a party can raise any other matter worth discussing before trial.
Once the conference wraps up, the court can enter a pretrial order recording what was decided. That order then governs how the rest of the case proceeds, though the court can modify it later to prevent manifest injustice — a safety valve for when strict adherence to the earlier agreement would produce an unjust result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to attend a pretrial conference?
If the court directs the parties to appear, attendance is required. The court can order a conference on its own or in response to a motion from either side.
What do I need to file before a pretrial conference?
If the court directs it, each party must file a written statement at least five days before the conference addressing the matters listed in section (b) — things like the facts supporting the claim or defense, the damages sought, the documents and experts to be offered at trial, and any stipulations the parties can agree on.
Can the pretrial order be changed later?
Yes. The order controls how the case proceeds from that point, but the court can modify it to prevent manifest injustice if sticking to it would produce an unjust result.
Does the pretrial conference cover expert witnesses?
Yes. Section (b) calls for each party to list the names and specialties of any experts it plans to call, so both sides know what expert testimony to expect at trial.
What happens to documents both sides agree are authentic?
The pretrial statement is supposed to flag which documents the parties agree can come into evidence without the usual authentication, which saves trial time by taking that issue off the table in advance.
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: district court pretrial conference marylandpretrial statement requirementspretrial order modificationlisting witnesses before trialMD Rule 3-504