Hearing Prep Mode
Walk in organized. Walk out with a plan.
Hearing preparation is organization, not argument coaching: know the procedure, bring the proof, respect the format. Pick your county to pull its actual hearing procedures from BenchPath.
The universal prep list
01
Confirm the hearing
Date, time, length, judge/magistrate, and whether it's Zoom or in person. The notice of hearing controls.
02
Know what the hearing decides
A motion calendar hearing is short and narrow; a special set or evidentiary hearing takes testimony. Prepare for the one you actually have.
03
Organize exhibits
Number them, bring the required copies, and know your county's submission procedure — many divisions require pre-submission for Zoom hearings.
04
Line up witnesses
Who, why, and whether they need subpoenas. Confirm remote-appearance rules if any witness is remote.
05
Draft the timeline
One page: the key dates and facts you need the judge to absorb quickly.
06
Check the proposed-order procedure
Some divisions want proposed orders before the hearing, in editable format, through a specific channel.
07
Plan court day
Parking, security lines, childcare (children generally should not come), documents in a binder, phone silenced.
08
Plan the after
Who prepares the order, when it's due, and what you must start doing the moment it's signed.
Hillsborough hearing & division procedures
Courtesy CopiesCounty Civil Division V · Jack Gutman · Hillsborough
Deadline-Firm Materials; Motion-Based Zoom — County Civil V
Judge Gutman's practices PDF (mod. June 2026): the county-civil template applies — late materials not considered, Zoom by motion for in-person-noticed hearings, good cause for remote requests.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Courtesy CopiesCounty Civil Division J · Michael C. Baggé-Hernández · Hillsborough
Digital Courtesy Copies Only; Small Claims & Eviction Procedures Published — County Civil J
Judge Baggé-Hernández runs the fullest county-civil template (13 sections) including dedicated Small Claims and Landlord/Tenant-Eviction procedures — courtesy copies go digitally to the division, JAWS is the scheduling default, and unsolicited non-party communications are disregarded.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Proposed OrdersEast Circuit R (Civ/UFC), S (Injunctions), U (Probate) · Cory L. Chandler · Hillsborough
East Probate U Is Paperless and Rides Division R's Docket
Judge Chandler's Division U sheet: East Probate is paperless (orders only via ePortal to EAST CIRCUIT PROBATE DIVISION U), and probate hearings share Division R's JAWS docket for 30-minutes-or-less settings.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Courtesy CopiesCounty Civil Division R · Colleen O'Brien · Hillsborough
Late Materials Not Considered; 3-Day Binder Recycling — County Civil R
Judge O'Brien's practices PDF (mod. Nov. 2025): materials after the deadline are not considered, unclaimed binders are recycled within 3 days, and Zoom at an in-person-noticed hearing takes a motion.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Courtesy CopiesCounty Civil Division L · Christopher Saba · Hillsborough
Late Materials Not Considered; Unclaimed Binders Recycled in 3 Days — County Civil L
Judge Saba's practices PDF (mod. Jan. 2026): hearing materials received after the deadline will not be considered, binders not retrieved within 3 days of the proceeding are recycled, and Zoom requests for in-person-noticed hearings go by motion.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsEast Circuit R (Civ/UFC), S (Injunctions), U (Probate) · Cory L. Chandler · Hillsborough
Protective-Injunction Hearings Are In Person — No Zoom Unless Directed — East Circuit S
Judge Chandler's Division S sheet is unambiguous: all protective-injunction hearings happen in person at Plant City, and you may not participate by Zoom unless the Court specifically directs it.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsCounty Civil Division N · Branden M. Henderson · Hillsborough
UMC Dockets ARE VIA ZOOM; Other Remote Needs Good Cause — County Civil N
Judge Henderson's practices PDF (mod. May 2026): UMC dockets run on Zoom, other remote appearances require good cause from the requesting party, and unclaimed binders are recycled after 3 days.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsCounty Civil Division I · Christine D. Edwards · Hillsborough
UMC Runs on Zoom Only; Cancelled Hearings Kill the Zoom Credentials — County Civil I
Judge Edwards's practices PDF: the Uniform Motion Calendar is conducted via Zoom only, remote-appearance credentials die with a cancelled hearing, and Zoom appearances for in-person settings require an uploaded Order to Appear Via Zoom in the Division I queue.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Motion CalendarCounty Civil Division H · James S. Giardina · Hillsborough
Unilateral Notices Need a Detailed Cover Letter and 3 Documented Attempts — County Civil H
Judge Giardina: 15-minutes-or-less schedules through JAWS, over 30 through the JA — and a unilaterally-set notice of hearing must attach a cover letter detailing at least three attempts to coordinate; hearings in person since February 14, 2022.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsFamily Division C · Wendy J. DePaul · Hillsborough
30-Minute Zoom Line; Unpermitted Zoom Evidentiary Hearings Get Cancelled — Family C
Judge DePaul's matrix: non-evidentiary ≤30 minutes on Zoom (pro se CMCs in person); evidentiary or >30 minutes in person, with evidentiary set at 60 minutes; Zoom-noticed evidentiary hearings without permission may be cancelled; phone appearances risk rescheduling.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Trial ExhibitsFamily Division B · Joseph M. Tompkins · Hillsborough
Contested Financials Highlighted; One Color-Coded ED Worksheet in Excel — Family B
Judge Tompkins requires each side's final financial affidavit 5 days before trial with ONLY contested entries highlighted, and a single jointly-prepared equitable-distribution worksheet in Excel color-coding agreed vs. disputed items.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsJuvenile Dependency Division B · Richard H. Martin · Hillsborough
DCF Arranges Remote Appearances; Witness Zoom Needs Court Permission — Juvenile Dependency B
Judge Martin's practices PDF (mod. 1/23/2026, recovered from the portal vein): DCF is responsible for arranging remote appearances, witnesses appear by Zoom only with Court permission, and status conferences require a filed notice of hearing.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsFamily Division L · Robin F. Fuson · Hillsborough
NO Evidentiary Hearing of Any Length via Zoom — Family L
Judge Fuson's practices PDF (mod. June 25, 2026): evidentiary hearings never happen on Zoom regardless of length, and all temporary-relief hearings are in person; scheduling impasses go to the JA.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
MediationFamily Division D · Kelly A. Ayers · Hillsborough
No Final Hearing Without Mediation in the Past 6 Months — Family D
Judge Ayers will not schedule a final hearing or trial unless mediation occurred within the past six months (or new counsel appeared since) — and the Order Setting Final Hearing must hit JAWS 15 days before the date.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsFamily Division E · Michael J. Hooi · Hillsborough
No Hybrid Hearings — but Mutual In-Person Is Always Available — Family E
Judge Hooi does not usually allow hybrid hearings (one side in person, one virtual); if both sides prefer, everyone may appear in person instead; emergencies route through the clerk to a judge-entered handling order.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Proposed OrdersJuvenile Delinquency Divisions B & F · Kim Brennan · Hillsborough
No Orphaned Signature Lines; Capitalize Mother and Father — Juvenile Delinquency B/F
The Delinquency B/F division publishes unusually granular order-formatting rules: PDFs created from Word (not scans), no signature line or ORDERED-AND-ADJUDGED text alone on a page, Mother/Father capitalized, descriptive titles, "number of number" pagination — with orders in the JAWS queue presumed shared and unobjected.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Courtesy CopiesCounty Civil U & Protective Injunctions M · Jennifer P. Johnson · Hillsborough
Retrieve Hearing Binders Within 3 Days or They're Recycled — County Civil U / Injunctions M
Judge Johnson's practices PDF: hearing binders must be picked up within 3 days after the proceeding or they are recycled; anything over 15 minutes schedules by e-mail only; materials and continuances run on 5-day clocks.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsFamily Division J · Robert A. Bauman · Hillsborough
Zoom Only (Never WebEx); No Piggybacking; No Pre-Hearing Orders — Family J
Judge Bauman: PTCs, trials, and evidentiary hearings require counsel AND clients at the courthouse; the Court will not schedule on WebEx; no piggybacking matters onto set hearings; and proposed orders must NOT enter the queue before the hearing happens.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Courtesy CopiesProbate, Guardianship, Mental Health & Trust Division A · Catherine M. Catlin · Hillsborough
Case Law and Tabbed Exhibit Binders 5 Business Days Out — Probate A
Judge Catlin: all case-law authority AND all hearing/trial exhibits due at least five business days ahead — exhibits in an indexed, tabbed binder — with mediation mandatory before any 2-hour-plus hearing on pain of cancellation.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Proposed OrdersProbate, Guardianship, Mental Health & Trust Division A · Catherine M. Catlin · Hillsborough
Orders Cite the Hearing Date; Uploaded No More Than 2 Days Early — Probate A
Judge Catlin's paperless order regime: PDF only (never Word), the hearing date in the opening paragraph, uploaded no more than 2 days before the hearing (early uploads rejected and removed), 3-business-day docketing wait, and "no hanging signatures."
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Proposed OrdersMental Health M / Veterans V / Adult Drug Ct W · Michael J. Scionti · Hillsborough
Orders in "Microsoft Adobe Acrobat" PDF; Paper Exhibits — Mental Health / Veterans / Drug Court
Judge Scionti's specialty-docket practices PDF (Mental Health M, Veterans V, Adult Drug Treatment W): proposed orders submitted in what the document memorably calls "Microsoft Adobe Acrobat™" format, exhibits to the clerk on paper — and no standing Zoom ID (access is provided upon approval only).
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Proposed OrdersCircuit Felony Division C · Lawrence M. Lefler · Hillsborough
Orders in PDF; Exhibits to the Clerk on Paper, Single-Sided — Felony C
Judge Lefler's practices PDF (mod. June 30, 2026 — which also confirms his division as Felony C): proposed orders submit in PDF format, and exhibits go to the clerk in paper, single-sided.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsCircuit Criminal B & Jimmy Ryce T · Kimberly K. Fernandez · Hillsborough
PDF Orders; Zoom Decorum Violations Risk Sanctions — Criminal B / Jimmy Ryce T
Judge Fernandez's practices PDF (mod. 6/24/2026, covering Circuit Criminal B and the Jimmy Ryce Act T docket): proposed orders upload in PDF, and Zoom-decorum violators "may be subject to sanctions."
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.
Remote / Zoom HearingsCircuit Criminal Division E · Wesley D. Tibbals · Hillsborough
Remote Appearance Only on Good Cause; No Arraignment Transport — Criminal E
Judge Tibbals: good cause must be established to appear remotely in his criminal division, and in-custody defendants are not transported to arraignment.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.