In any action the court may in its discretion direct the attorneys for the parties to appear before it for a conference to consider:
Rule 16.Pre-Trial Procedure — Formulating Issues.
Current through February 2024 · Last verified July 8, 2026
In one sentenceRule 16 lets the court call the attorneys in for a pretrial conference to simplify the issues, consider amendments to the pleadings, work out admissions of fact and documents, limit expert witnesses, and address electronically stored information, then enter an order that controls the rest of the case unless changed at trial to prevent manifest injustice.
Full Text of Rule 16
(1) The simplification of the issues;
(2) The necessity or desirability of amendments to the pleadings;
(3) The possibility of obtaining admissions of fact and of documents which will avoid unnecessary proof;
(4) The limitations of the number of expert witnesses;
(5) Matters related to electronically stored information; and/or
(6) Such other matters as may aid in the disposition of the action. The court shall make an order which recites the action taken at the conference, the amendments allowed to the pleadings, issues relating to electronically stored information, and the agreements made by the parties as to any of the matters considered, and which limits the issues for trial to those not disposed of by admissions or agreements of counsel; and such order when entered controls the subsequent course of the action, unless modified at the trial to prevent manifest injustice.
Each judicial officer conducting jury trials may conduct a pre-trial conference upon the day of, and prior to, the commencement of such trial in accordance with the provisions of this rule.
IV. PARTIES
Amendment History
Rhode Island does not publish a per-rule amendment history inside the compiled rules text reproduced here. The text above is verified current through the source’s own February 2024 printing; for the underlying adopting orders and any later amendments, see the Rhode Island Judiciary’s compiled rules page.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 16 gives the court discretion to call the lawyers in for a conference before trial. The judge is not required to hold one, but when a conference happens, its purpose is to cut down what still needs to be tried.
At the conference the court can take up simplifying the issues, whether the pleadings need amendment, whether the parties can agree to admissions of fact or documents so no one has to prove the obvious, how many expert witnesses each side gets, and any matters tied to electronically stored information.
Whatever the court and the lawyers work out gets written into an order. That order lists what was decided, any amendments allowed, any agreements on electronic evidence, and it narrows the trial to the issues the parties have not already resolved by agreement or admission. Once entered, the order controls how the rest of the case proceeds, and a judge will only depart from it at trial to avoid manifest injustice. Judges handling jury trials can also hold this kind of conference on the morning of trial, right before it begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rhode Island's Superior Court required to hold a pretrial conference?
No. Rule 16 leaves it to the court's discretion. A judge may direct the attorneys to appear for a conference, but nothing forces one in every case.
What can the judge and lawyers decide at a Rule 16 conference?
They can simplify the issues, agree on amendments to the pleadings, work out admissions of fact or documents, limit the number of expert witnesses, and address matters involving electronically stored information, along with anything else that helps move the case toward disposition.
Can the pretrial order be changed once it's entered?
The order controls how the rest of the case proceeds, but a judge can modify it at trial if following it strictly would cause manifest injustice.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (R.I. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 16). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Rhode Island (R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-6-2). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: pretrial conferencescheduling conferencepretrial ordernarrowing the issues before trialtrial management conferencepretrial hearing rulessimplifying issues for trial