Judge Williams’ Trial Procedures
Jury Trial Schedule
Parties and counsel must arrive to the courtroom by 9:00 a.m. The jury will enter the
courtroom at 9:30 a.m. There will be two fifteen-minute breaks, one in the morning and
one in the afternoon, and a forty-five minute lunch break around 1:00 p.m. The jury will
be excused each day at 5:30 p.m.
Communications to Chambers
Any and all trial correspondence should be via Delaware counsel through the GBW Civil
mailbox (
[email protected]).
Juror Lunch & Snacks
The parties shall pay for and coordinate ordering and delivering juror lunches and snacks
during the trial. The parties are reminded to remove any self-identifying materials from
the juror lunches and snacks to maintain anonymity.
Delaware counsel shall email
[email protected] each day to receive the juror
lunch requests.
Time Keeping
The Courtroom Deputy shall keep track of the time. Each morning, Judge Williams will
read on the record the amount of time each party has remaining.
Approaching the Bench
Parties are reminded to ask for permission before approaching the bench, and should be
reminded that any witness binders shall be passed through a deputy or law clerk.
Dispute Resolutions / Objections
Delaware counsel, on behalf of the parties, shall notify the Court by email
(
[email protected]) by 6:00 a.m. of any objections to demonstratives,
witnesses, deposition designations, or other evidence to be presented that trial day. The
parties shall attach to the email digital copies of all relevant demonstratives, exhibits and
deposition designations with the disputed passages highlighted. By 8:15 a.m., the parties
shall provide the Court with two (2) courtesy copies of the objections and relevant exhibits
and deposition designations. The parties shall leave the courtesy copies on the podium in
the courtroom.
The parties shall follow the below template when filing objections with the Court:
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1. Plaintiff’s Opening Demonstratives
Slide Number(s) Defendant’s Objection(s) Plaintiff’s Response(s)
Slide [x]
2. Defendant’s Opening Demonstratives
Slide Number(s) Plaintiff’s Objection(s) Defendant’s Response(s)
Slide [x]
3. Exhibits to be used with [insert witness name]
Exhibit(s) Objection(s) Response(s)
Exhibit [x]
Parties’ objections to demonstratives, exhibits, witnesses, and deposition designations shall
be addressed from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., after 5:30 p.m., or during the morning, lunch, or
afternoon breaks.
The parties are encouraged to bring issues to the Court’s attention in advance of testimony,
when possible.
Coordination of Exhibits on Joint Exhibit List
When possible, the parties shall refer to exhibits from the joint exhibit list.
The parties are instructed to de-duplicate the joint exhibit list and consistently paginate the
joint exhibit list, i.e., JTX001, JTX002, etc.
Witness Binders
The parties shall provide the Court two (2) courtesy copies of any witness binders.
Demonstratives
The parties shall provide the Court two (2) courtesy copies of any demonstratives used at
trial.
Voir Dire
Plaintiff(s) shall bring at least 52 pens to jury selection for the jury to use during voir dire.
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Federal Judicial Center Introduction to the Patent System
Plaintiff(s) shall have the Federal Judicial Center Introduction to the Patent System video
ready to be played at the time the jury has been selected. Judge Williams will reference
the video during the preliminary jury instructions. Plaintiff(s) shall be ready to play the
video at the appropriate time.
A deputy shall distribute the juror notebooks, if there are any, to the jury before the video
is played. These notebooks shall be distributed prior to the start of the preliminary jury
instructions.
Charge Conference
A charge conference will be held the second to last day of the jury trial to resolve any
disputes regarding the final jury instructions and verdict sheet. At that time, the parties
may formally object to the final jury instructions and verdict sheet.
Prior to the charge conference, the parties shall file and email chambers
(
[email protected]) revised versions of their proposed final jury instructions
and verdict sheet.
Court Reporter
At least three (3) business days before the start of the jury trial, the parties shall email the
court reporter and chambers a glossary of terms and names, a list of possible witnesses who
may appear at trial, and a list of phonetic pronunciation of attorneys’ and witnesses’ names.
Exhibits for the Jury
The parties are reminded to have hard copies of all paper exhibits ready for the jury by the
time the jury deliberates.
If there are electronic exhibits, the parties must notify the Court (or deputy) prior to the
start of closings.
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