Civil Docket

Term Day / Docket Call Procedure

Gloucester Circuit Court
Jeffrey W Shaw, Presiding Judge

Term Day in Gloucester is the first Monday in January, March, May, July, September, and November. If the Monday is a holiday, Term Day will be held on the next day, i.e., Tuesday. A praecipe must be filed at least 10 days prior to Term Day. The Docket Call is at 10 a.m.

Local Rule Governing Setting Civil Cases for Trial Order, dated September 1, 2015 and Local Rule Governing Continuances Order, dated December 1, 2014.

PRAECIPE                                                                                                                                                                                Juvenile/domestic relations appeals and divorce cases do not require a praecipe and may be set anytime by telephone with Judge Shaw's Judicial Assistant, Lisa Holland at 804-693-1358.  The other cases require a praecipe and are set by counsel faxing their available dates to Lisa Holland at 804-693-1755.  It is preferred that the moving party obtain all participants' available dates, and then fax to the Court a list of dates that are mutually agreeable for all.  Counsel should confer and indicate the length of the trial and whether it is a bench trial or a jury trial. 

Ms. Holland will then proceed to locate a retired judge to hear the case.  Dates should be faxed no later than the Friday following the docket call.  If dates are not timely received, the procedure will be required to start over at the next docket call.

SCHEDULING ORDER                                                                                                                                                                            The moving party is responsible for preparing and circulating a scheduling order within three weeks of scheduling a trial.