Jeffrey R. Finigan

The Court requires courtesy copies of all Law & Motion filings, CMC Statements, and trial-related filings (e.g. Motions in Limine, witness lists, exhibit lists, etc.). The Court does not require courtesy copies of initial pleadings such as Complaints and Answers. The Court also does not require courtesy copies of Proposed Orders after Law & Motion hearings, as those must be efiled and routed to the Court for electronic signature. Any courtesy copy document more than five (5) pages must be sent to the Court in hardcopy. Documents 5 pages or less may be submitted in hardcopy or via email to Dept24@sanmateocourt.org. Please note “Courtesy Copy(ies)” and include the Case name and # in the subject line of any email. Courtesy copies submitted via hardcopy must be delivered to:

Jeffrey R. Finigan
Judge of the Superior Court, San Mateo County
Department 24
400 County Center
Courtroom 2F
Redwood City, CA 94063

Under Local Rule 3.500(d), "[e]x parte applicants and opponents must appear IN PERSON, subject to the exceptions set forth in CRC Rule 3.1207."

To obtain ex parte relief, the applicant must bring the application and any supporting papers and any copies to be "endorsed filed" to the courtroom at the time of the hearing. The application may NOT be efiled, and the Clerk's Office will NOT accept ex parte applications for filing.

The Applicant MUST inform Dept. 24 by email if there will be an opposition and when that opposition will be filed.

The applicant MUST provide a proposed order or the application will be denied. (See CRC Rule 3.1201.) The parties should email their application or opposition, and any supporting papers, and the proposed order AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE to the Court at Dept24@sanmateocourt.org or hand deliver the documents to Department 24 at the Southern Courthouse located at 400 County Center, Redwood City. The proposed order should be provided in Word format.

The ex parte application fee must be paid in advance at the Civil Clerk's Office.

Judge Finigan hears ex partes on Mondays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. but the preference is for Thursday.

Unless otherwise ordered, all IDCs for non-complex cases in Department 24, are conducted by the Civil Commissioner. To schedule an IDC, please check the Court's web site. Please do not contact Department 24 to schedule an IDC. Only the Civil Commissioner can schedule an IDC.

IDCs for complex cases are conducted by Judge Finigan. Contact Dept. 24 by phone or email to schedule an IDC in a complex case.

New: Due to limited Court resources, there can be a delay between eFiling documents, and the documents being uploaded into the Court’s electronic file making them available to the Court. In order to ensure your reply brief is received by the Court in a timely manner, you must email a copy of any reply brief, or any Unlawful Detainer Opposition or Motion for Summary Judgment to lawandmotionreplybriefs@sanmateocourt.org. If you fail to do so and your reply brief is not available to the Court in a timely manner, please be advised that this may result in your matter being continued. Also, please note that this requirement is in addition to any separate requirement individual Judges have regarding the delivery of courtesy copies to their chambers, as well as the obligation to email all briefs, including reply briefs, to the complexcivil@sanmateocourt.org email address for complex matters. Thank you.

Judge Finigan hears Law & Motion in non-complex cases on Fridays at 9:00 a.m. To schedule a hearing date for motions in non-complex cases, please check the Court's web site. Please do not contact Dept. 24 directly to schedule a hearing date.

Judge Finigan holds Law & Motion in complex cases on Friday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. To schedule a hearing on a motion in a complex case, please contact Dept. 24 directly by email at both dept24@sanmateocourt.org complexcivil@sanmateocourt.org. Do NOT contact the Civil Clerk's Office.

All MSCs for civil cases assigned to Department 24 will be conducted by a different civil direct calendar judge. Please contact the judge who has been assigned as your MSC judge to find out whether that judge will be requiring IN PERSON appearances at the MSC.

For civil cases in which Judge Finigan is conducting the MSC, the MSC will be held at the Southern Courthouse located at 400 County Center, Redwood City. All appearances at MSCs conducted by Judge Finigan must be IN PERSON unless otherwise permitted.

PRETRIAL ORDERS
Judge Jeffrey R. Finigan, Department 24
Superior Court of California, San Mateo County

All parties are ordered to comply with the following:

1. In addition to the meet and confer requirements of CCP §2016.040, per Local Rule 3.700, no party may move to compel discovery or file any other discovery motion until the parties have had an Informal Discovery Conference (IDC) with the Court. See Court’s website for information regarding scheduling an IDC.
2. One week before the pretrial conference, which is generally set two weeks before trial, counsel shall serve and file:
   
   1. Trial briefs (10-page limit without obtaining permission to exceed; briefs in violation will not be reviewed)

   2. All in limine motions, including proposed orders for each with courtesy copies of the proposed orders emailed to the Court in Word

      (The Court will rule on in limine motions on the first day of trial. A party wishing to obtain an earlier ruling for an in limine motion may file a request for an order shortening time to hear the motion on an earlier date.)

   3. Witness lists, including brief (no more than a few sentences) summary and length of expected testimony
   4. A statement of the case to be read to the jury panel before voire dire. The proposed statement shall also be emailed to the Court. All parties shall meet and confer and agree on the statement. If the parties cannot agree, they shall provide ONE copy to the Court with objectionable portions highlighted with accompanying information regarding which party objects to the highlighted language and on what basis(es). For example, portions plaintiff objects to shall be highlighted in yellow with an explanation in the margin stating reasons for the objection and portions defendant objects to shall be highlighted in blue with the same corresponding explanation.
   5. Deposition designations are to be served only (not filed with the Court) and the parties shall meet and confer regarding any objections. Objections not resolved by the parties or at the pretrial conference shall be filed as instructed below.
3. At the pretrial conference primary trial counsel and self-represented litigants must appear in person and be prepared to discuss:
   
   1. Estimated time of the trial
   2. Scheduling issues for all witnesses and counsel (the Court generally will NOT allow witness testimony via Zoom absent exceptional circumstances, which should be raised at the pretrial conference)
   3. Deposition designations
   4. Stipulations
   5. In limine motions
   6. Jury selection
   7. A/V and Zoom needs and protocols
4. One week before trial the parties shall do the following:
   
   1. File responses (with proposed orders) to in limine motions
   2. File objections to deposition designations
   3. Exchange pre-marked copies of all potential trial exhibits, including discovery responses (duplicate exhibits are to be removed prior to trial)
   4. Exhibits shall be numerical starting at 001 and the parties must agree on blocks of numbers to fit the case (e.g. Plaintiff’s exhibits are 001-100 and defendant’s exhibits are 101-200)
   5. File an exhibit list
   6. Meet and confer as to proposed instructions and verdict forms
5. On the first day of trial:
   
   1. Parties are instructed to try to use joint exhibit binders and shall bring four copies of each binder containing exhibits (one for the Court, one for the witness stand, and one for each side). If the parties cannot agree on joint exhibit binders, each side shall bring four copies of their binders.
   2. The parties shall submit proposed instructions and verdict forms. The instructions shall comply with CRC Rule 2.1055.

When Judge Finigan orders a party to prepare a written order, that party should deliver or mail a hard copy of that order to the Civil Clerk's Office in Redwood City. The party must also email the order in Word format to Department 24 at Dept24@sanmateocourt.org. That email must include the other parties.

The party preparing the order must comply with CRC Rule 3.1312. Judge Finigan will reject proposed orders that do not inform him of the opposing party's response, if any, to the proposed order. The party preparing the written order must make a good faith effort to meet and confer with the other party(ies) about the order before submitting it to the Court.

For non-complex cases, Judge Finigan holds his TSC/CMCs on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. Lead trial counsel must attend the conference. This conference is not scheduled until the case has had an Initial Case Management Conference before the Commissioner and the parties have engaged in an ADR process.

• The Court prefers, but does not require, the parties to file Joint Trial Setting/Case Management Conference Statement. CMC Statements are to be filed 5 court days before the conference.
• Following each TSC/CMC, Judge Finigan will order one of the parties to prepare a written order consistent with the Court's rulings at the conference. 

For complex cases, Judge Finigan holds TSC/CMCs on Friday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Lead trial counsel must attend the conference. To schedule a case management conference in a complex case, please contact Dept. 24 directly by email at both dept24@sanmateocourt.org and complexcivil@sanmateocourt.org. Do NOT contact the Civil Clerk's Office. CMC Statements are to be filed 5 court days before the conference.