JL Divisional Instructions

New Announcement 11/08/21

E-courtesy is now active in OLS for Division JL. The Judge requires submission of all materials for hearings to occur through OLS. Division JL will no longer accept the submission of materials through email.

There is no Uniform Motion Calendar (UMC) held in Juvenile Divisions

Motions/Special Set Hearings

Local Rule 4

The Court expects strict compliance with Local Rule 4.

Prior to setting a matter a matter for hearing, the party or attorney noticing the motion/matter shall attempt to resolve the matter and shall certify the good faith attempt to resolve. All notices of hearing for matters scheduled for hearing shall set forth directly above the signature block, the below certifications without modification and shall designate with a check mark or other marking the specific certification which applies:

Counsel has conferred with all parties who may be affected by the relief sought in the motion in a good faith effort to resolve or narrow the issues raised.

PROPOSED AGREED ORDERS shall be submitted via the Divisional Portal. Please send an email to notify the Court there has been a submission. Please DO NOT attach the proposed order to the email.

Motions must be filed with the Clerk of Court before contacting the Judicial Assistant for scheduling. Also, the party noticing the hearing shall certify on the Notice of Hearing that a good faith attempt was made to resolve the matter prior to setting it for hearing. This is pursuant to Local Rule 4.

All matters set for hearing shall be set through the Judicial Assistant, NOT through the Clerk of Court. Send an email to the Judicial Assistant, with the NAME OF DEFENDANT and CASE NUMBER in the subject line. Please attach any motion and copy all parties on the email. You may email the Judicial Assistant at CAD-DivisionJL@pbcgov.org.

Any motion requiring (15) minutes or more should be submitted to the Court via email, including the length of time requested for hearing. The Judge will review the motion and the Judicial Assistant will provide available dates. The parties should coordinate those dates with opposing counsel. ONCE A DATE IS AGREED UPON, THE MOVING PARTY SHOULD EMAIL THE JUDICIAL ASSISTANT TO SET THE DATE ON THE COURT'S CALENDAR. All motions must be filed with the Clerk of Court prior to contacting the Judicial Assistant for hearing times.

The Court greatly appreciates written responses on special set hearings, with caselaw/authority provided (48) hours prior to the hearing, with courtesy copies provided via email to the Judicial Assistant at CAD-DivisionJL@pbcgov.org. If the documentation is over (40) pages, please deliver hard copies in a binder, labeled and tabbed appropriately. 

Emergency Hearings

Please refer to Administrative Order 5.806-11/14

For any true emergency matter, you must file a motion for emergency hearing pursuant to the above referenced Administrative Order. Submit the original motion directly to the clerk; the clerk will deliver a copy of the filed emergency motion to the judge's office for review and determination if the matter is a true emergency. The motion should indicate how much hearing time, if any, will be needed and include any supporting information which will help the Judge determine if the matter is an emergency. PLEASE insure all parties' CONTACT INFORMATION (phone numbers and email addresses) is provided on the Emergency Motion. After the judge has reviewed the motion, she will either rule on the Motion without a hearing or the Judicial Assistant will contact the moving party with instructions.

Memoranda of Law

Should be filed directly with the Judge's office at least five business days prior to the hearing indicating the date and time of the hearing. The Clerk will not file memoranda in the court file without permission of the Judge (Administrative Order 2.301). The memoranda are limited to ten double spaced pages. Reply memoranda are limited to five double spaced pages. Please indicate in a cover letter when the hearing is set, and DO NOT submit prior to the hearing date being set.

Proposed Orders

Pursuant to AOSC19-74, by May of 2020, all judges were required to electronically sign and file orders through the Florida Courts e-Filing Portal and receive proposed orders through the Circuit online system (OLS). Therefore, all attorneys must submit documents (orders and proposed orders) electronically to the judges of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.

Division JL will no longer accept emailed orders. Orders will only be accepted through OLS submission.

Instructions on uploading proposed orders through OLS.

  1. Go to: Online Services
  2. Click on "Online Services Home"
  3. If you are new to Online Services, click "Register New User" to set up an account.
  4. Select your proper choice for registration information.
  5. Enter your registration information.
  6. After you submit your registration information, an email will be sent to you.
  7. Please check the email account you registered with. When you receive the email, please follow the link in the email to complete the account confirmation. Note that you will also need to enter the account password that you entered when you registered.
  8. After confirming your account, please login.
  9. Select, "continue to online scheduling" on your homepage.
  10. Enter the case number of the case of which you wish to submit a proposed order.
  11. To submit a proposed order, click the “Submit proposed Order” button below.
  12. All other documents should be submitted using the “Submit e-courtesy” button. Do NOT submit proposed orders through e-courtesy. Documents submitted through e-courtesy cannot be signed or edited by the Judge.

If you have any questions, please contact Court Technology at CAD-Web@pbcgov.org

Please note that these procedures do not override the local rules and/or any Administrative Orders