§ 25-50. Case Management

(a)The presiding judge or a designee shall determine by the case management date which track each case shall take and assign each case for disposition. That date shall be set on a schedule approved by the presiding judge.

(b)If the matter is uncontested, and a form prescribed by the office of the chief court administrator has been filed, the clerk shall assign the matter to a date certain for disposition.

(c)With the approval of the presiding judge, a case management conference may be conducted by the filing of a stipulated scheduling order when only financial issues are outstanding. If there is a dispute with respect to financial issues, the matter may be directed to any alternative dispute resolution mechanism, private or court-annexed, or thereafter have assigned a date certain for family special masters and further judicial pretrial. Thereafter, the matter may be assigned for trial for a date certain if not resolved.

(d)In cases where custody or visitation issues are outstanding, the parties and counsel must appear for a case management conference on the case management date. If custody or visitation issues require judicial intervention, the appointment of counsel or a guardian ad litem for the minor child, or case study or evaluation by family services or by a private provider of services, a target date shall be assigned for completion of such study and the final conjoint thereon and thereafter a date certain shall be assigned for disposition.

(e)With respect to subsections (c) and (d), if a trial is required, such order may include a date certain for a trial management conference between counsel or pro se parties for the purpose of premarking exhibits and complying with other orders of the judicial authority to expedite the trial process.