Rule 1:20.Scheduling Civil Cases for Trial.

Part One: General Rules Applicable to All Proceedings · Last amended 2021 · Last verified July 16, 2026

In one sentenceRule 1:20 requires each circuit court to adopt one or a combination of listed procedures for scheduling civil trial dates — counsel agreement with court approval, a written plan under Rule 1:18, a scheduling conference, or a docket call — and requires the resulting local procedures to be published and made available.

Full Text of Rule 1:20

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The circuit courts of the Commonwealth must adopt one or a combination of the following procedures for scheduling civil cases for trial.

(a) Counsel of record may agree to a trial date and may secure approval of the court by telephone call or other electronic communication to the designated court official.

(b) Counsel of record may agree to a trial date as a part of a written plan prepared and submitted to the court for approval pursuant to Rule 1:18.

(c) The court may, at the request of counsel of record, or may in its own discretion, direct counsel of record to appear, in person or by telephone, for a conference to set a trial date and consider other matters set forth in Rule 1:19 or Rule 4:13.

(d) The court may set civil cases for trial at a docket call held on a day as provided by § 17.1-517.

(e) Following the submission of a praecipe, the court may set civil cases for trial at a docket call held on a day as provided by § 17.1-517.

The Executive Secretary must make accessible these procedures on the Internet.

The clerk of each district and circuit court must make their respective procedures available in the office of the clerk of that court.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 1:20 requires every circuit court to adopt a way of scheduling civil trials, drawing from a menu of procedures the rule lists. Counsel of record may agree to a trial date and get the court’s approval by phone or other electronic communication, or may agree to a date as part of a written scheduling plan submitted under Rule 1:18. The court may instead direct counsel to appear, in person or by phone, for a conference to set a trial date and take up the matters covered by Rules 1:19 and 4:13. Or the court may set civil cases for trial at a docket call held under Code § 17.1-517, either generally or following the submission of a praecipe.

Whichever combination a circuit court adopts, the rule requires transparency about it. The Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court must make these scheduling procedures accessible on the Internet, and the clerk of each district and circuit court must make that court’s own procedures available in the clerk’s office.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a Virginia circuit court set a civil trial date?

Through one or a combination of the procedures Rule 1:20 lists: agreement by counsel with court approval, a written plan under Rule 1:18, a scheduling conference, or a docket call held under Code § 17.1-517.

Can counsel agree to a trial date without a court hearing?

Yes. Rule 1:20(a) lets counsel of record agree to a trial date and secure the court’s approval by telephone or other electronic communication.

Where can I find a specific circuit court’s trial-scheduling procedures?

Rule 1:20 requires the clerk of each district and circuit court to make that court’s procedures available in the clerk’s office, and requires the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to publish them on the Internet.

What is a docket call under Rule 1:20?

A session, held under Code § 17.1-517, at which the court may set civil cases for trial, either on its own schedule or after a praecipe has been submitted.

Does every circuit court use the same trial-scheduling procedure?

Not necessarily. Rule 1:20 lets each circuit court adopt one or a combination of the listed procedures, so long as the resulting procedures are published and made available as the rule requires.

Amendment History

Last amended by Order dated November 23, 2020; effective March 1, 2021.

Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginia, published by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Last verified July 16, 2026. · Official source

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