Bucks Writs - Summer 2018 - 19

With monumental help from both Stephen D. Watson,
Esq., Legal Review Officer, and Beth Schecter, the Judge's
invaluable assistant, a system was implemented whereby
a computer generated case management program now
requires a case to take one of four paths: 1) Praecipe to
Settle, Discontinue and End; 2) Try the case by a date
certain (as with a medical malpractice case); 3) Enter into
an Approved Case Management Order Stipulation or, 4)
Meet with Judge Baldi for a Case Management Conference
("CMC"), to sign an Agreed Case Management Order.

He stressed the value of Bucks local Rule *261, which
states that after the completion of discovery, either party
may move the matter to compulsory arbitration or trial. In
fact, after a matter has been pending in our court system
for at least one year, Judge Baldi intends to use a Case
Intervention Order in concert with Rule *261 to "wake
people up," and require that they certify the case for trial
within seven months from the date of the Case Intervention
Order. If neither party files a praecipe in accordance with
Rule *261 within that 7-month period, the Judge will, sua
sponte, issue a Case Management Order that will set a date
for the case to be certified as ready for trial.

The hardest part of this process, the Judge will readily
admit, was not his presiding over the CMCs, but the back
room work both Steve and Beth did in identifying and
bringing those cases to him. There was an upgrade to
the Courthouse computer software in the mix. And keep
in mind that some 70 new civil cases are filed each day
in Bucks County.

No surprise that Judge Baldi's resolve and his staff's hard
work has and continues to pay off. As of December 31,
2017, Bucks County has reduced its pending civil case load
to 5,209 cases, with no more than 23.6% aged over two
years. None of this involved added taxpayer expense, which
is worth noting.

Still, the Judge doesn't want anyone to accuse our court
system of slowing them down. He was adamant about
this when I mentioned my days as a law clerk in Chester
County, and how overwhelming their process felt to me as
a young lawyer.

What's more, if Judge Baldi has his way (I'll take that bet),
he will get every civil litigator into a courtroom within 7 - 9
weeks after their initial request for a trial date. And people
say you can't herd cats! 

The cost-effective and efficient alternative to litigation.

The Bucks County Mediation and Arbitration Center (BCMAC) is owned and
operated by Barbara N. Lyons, Esq. She is certified, skilled and experienced in
neutral arbitration, mediation and case evaluation. Attorneys work closely with
Barbara from initial contact to the conclusion of their case.
BCMAC is a full-service ADR provider addressing issues involving, but not limited to:
Contract & real estate disputes * Medical malpractice * Equity matters * Employer/employee disputes * Underinsured
and uninsured motorist cases * Business mergers and dissolutions * Personal injury * Municipal matters

BCMAC provides cost-effective and real-world solutions to attorneys, consumers,
business and industry professionals, employees, employers and government agencies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 215-340-7655 OR VISIT WWW.BCMAC.ORG
Bucks County Mediation and Arbitration Center | The Farm, 220 Farm Lane, Doylestown, PA 18901

BUCKS COUNTY

ISSUE: 1808
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1802
ORG/PUB: Bucks Writs

SUMMER 2018

http://WWW.BCMAC.ORG

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bucks Writs - Summer 2018