Dean Hrbacek

County Court at Law No. 6 requires mediation before a civil trial request and an oral hearing on every motion for default judgment and summary judgment.

All civil matters must be mediated prior to a trial request being made.

Fort Bend County Courts at Law require civil trial exhibits to be premarked when possible, written exhibit objections to be submitted before trial, and objections to trial video to be made at the pretrial conference or waived.

In so far as is possible, counsel for the parties shall pre-mark for identification all exhibits to be introduced into evidence, and shall notify the Court as to those items upon which counsel can agree may be admitted into evidence without objection and submit all objections to exhibits in writing to the Court prior to trial.

In civil district and county court proceedings, the court may permit or require electronic participation after appropriate notice; compelled electronic participation for oral-testimony proceedings requires good cause or party agreement, and a jury trial requires party agreement.

Upon appropriate notice by a party or the court, a court may allow or require a participant to appear at a court proceeding by videoconference, teleconference, or other available electronic means, except as otherwise provided in (2).

Civil district and county trial courts may permit courtroom recording or broadcasting only under Supreme Court guidelines, with the required party and witness consent, or for ceremonial proceedings.

A trial court may permit broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing of proceedings in the courtroom only in the following circumstances: