The Court believes that parties can and should resolve most discovery disputes. The Court will not hear or consider any discovery motions unless the parties have complied with the meet-and-confer requirement under Local Rule 37.2. Any discovery motion must state with specificity when and how the movant complied with Local Rule 37.2. Parties are reminded that compliance with Local Rule 37.2 requires a good faith effort to resolve discovery disputes and, other than in exceptional circumstances, requires communication that takes place face-to-face or by telephone. The Court prefers a face-to-face meeting; the mere exchange of correspondence, including e-mail, normally will not be sufficient to comply with Local Rule 37.2.  The Court considers failure to seriously engage in the meet-and-confer process to be grounds for denial of the motion.

Joint, uncontested, and agreed motions must be so identified in the title and body of the motion. On contested motions, the Court will typically set a date for the responsive brief to be filed. Typically, no reply will be necessary. The Court will then rule on the papers via the CM/ECF system or set a hearing date if one is necessary. All parties must be fully prepared to argue any discovery motion on the date it is noticed for presentment.