• Cynthia Reed
  Phone: (815) 987-4480

• Jennifer Titak
  Phone: (815) 987-4480

• Mary Lindbloom
  Phone: (815) 987-4486

Standing Order Establishing Mediation Procedure

Western Division ADR Program Information

Addendum to Local Rule for Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediation

The attorneys are to comply with LR3.2 when filing the first pleading on behalf of a party. The Judge will disqualify himself from hearing any case where he or his wife own stock in a public company including any affiliates.

A listing of Judge Reinhard's current public company stock holdings.

The court will set cases for status within 60 days of the filing of the complaint. At the initial status conference the parties will: 1) inform the court of the nature and scope of the case, 2) identify settlement opportunities, 3) set the initial pretrial conference, and 4) schedule future conferences and, when necessary, motions. All pretrial matters are referred to the Magistrate Judge, including the initial status conference discovery and scheduling of motions.

After the initial status and scheduling conference, the Magistrate Judge will hold scheduling and settlement conferences. Some of these may be held by telephone.

Scheduling Motions
DURING JANUARY - APRIL 2008 JUDGE REINHARD WILL NOT HAVE HIS REGULAR WEDNESDAY 9:00 A.M. MOTION CALL. CALL JUDGE REINHARD'S COURTROOM DEPUTY, JENNIFER TITAK, AT (815) 987-4480 EXT. 1, TO SCHEDULE ANY CIVIL AND CRIMINAL MOTIONS DURING THIS TIME.

Motions must be electronically filed with the central clerk's office at least two working days prior to the date of the hearing of the motion pursuant to Local Rule 78.1.  

The courtesy paper copy of all noticed motions must be received by the Judge at least 48 hours prior to the presentment.

Dispositive motions are decided by the District Judge unless parties consent to Magistrate Judge.  However, briefing schedules are set by the Magistrate Judge.

a. Meeting Requirement

The court encourages the parties to work out discovery disputes and discourages the filing of discovery motions.  Discovery disputes are normally resolved at a status call or a pretrial conference without briefing. If the matter is not resolved, then the Magistrate Judge will set a briefing schedule.

With regard to the filing of motions for discovery and production of documents under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26-37, the Magistrate Judge will not hear or consider any discovery motions unless the parties have complied with Local Rule 37.2

In any motion for discovery or production of documents, the movant shall state when and how the movant complied with Local Rule 37.2.  Failure to comply with these rules will result in the imposition of sanctions. Most often the Magistrate Judge will rule on these motions after oral argument at the motion call and without briefing. The Magistrate Judge will also consider these motions at a status call or a settlement conference.

• Standing Order for Procedure in Certain Uncontested Motions

• Standing Order for Filing of Certain Motions
   
• Standing Order for Rule 56 Motions
   
• Standing Order for Bankruptcy Appeals Brief
  

Too often litigants are unaware of the efficiencies to be gained by having their cases tried before United States Magistrate Judges. The court encourages counsel to inform their clients of this option, and to discuss it with opposing counsel.

• Magistrate Judge Consent Form

Briefs on appeal from the United States Bankruptcy Court must be filed within 15 days of the entry of judgment by the Bankruptcy Court. Any motions to extend time must be filed during the 15-day period. Briefs are limited to 15 pages each.

Pretrial: Paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the Standing Order Establishing Pretrial Procedure of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division shall apply to all civil cases pending in the Western Division.  

The Final Pretrial Order to be used in civil cases pending in the Western Division shall, pursuant to Local Rule 16.1 of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, be in the form approved for use in the Western Division, November 29, 2006, ("Western Division FPTO") which is available in the District Clerk's Office, Western Division, and at the link below. NOTE: This is the form to be used in the Western Division and it may differ from the forms used by other judges in this district. Footnotes, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,13, and 14 of Form LR16.1.1 shall apply to the preparation of the Western Division FPTO. 

• Judge Reinhard's Final Pretrial Order Form
   

• Standing Order for the Final Pretrial Order, Western Division 
   

• Standing Order Establishing Pretrial Procedure, Western Division

• Trial Exhibit List Form
• Trial Procedures - Civil Trials
• Procedures for Examination of Jurors - Civil Case
• Use Pattern Civil Jury Instructions for the 7th Circuit Drafted in 2005
• Trial Procedures - Criminal Trials
• Procedure for Examination of Jurors in a Criminal Case

Proposed Orders are technically not to be "filed." Rather, they are to be "submitted" to the judge to consider, to modify, if appropriate, and to enter electronically. For example, proposed orders such as stipulated protective orders require court approval before actually being given full effect. To prevent confusion, such proposed orders must be attached to an e-mail sent to the e-mail address of the assigned judge, Proposed_Order_Reinhard@ilnd.uscourts.gov  The subject line of the e-mail must include the case number and name, the docket number of the corresponding motion, if any, and the title of the order that is proposed as indicated on the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF). All such documents must be submitted to the court in a format compatible with WordPerfect, which is a "Save As" option in most word processing software. Such proposed orders should also be served on all parties.