UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
STANDING ORDER RE: APPEARANCE OF COUNSEL BY TELEPHONE
SAYLOR, J.
It is a common practice of this Court to convene periodic conferences in civil and
criminal cases for case management purposes. Often those conferences are quite short, on the
order of ten or fifteen minutes long. For counsel to travel to the courthouse for such a short
proceeding may involve undue inconvenience and expense, particularly for those traveling from
out of town.
Accordingly, the Court will generally permit counsel to appear by telephone for
relatively short and simple court conferences. Such telephone appearances are, however, subject
to the following requirements:
1. Counsel should request permission to appear by telephone from the courtroom
clerk reasonably in advance of the proceeding (that is, in time to appear in person
if permission is not granted).
2. Except in rare instances, counsel should participate from a normal office setting.
Counsel should avoid using cell telephones or similar devices, as reception may
be poor and counsel may be difficult to hear. Under no circumstances should
counsel participate from a moving automobile or where similar distractions are
present, or from public areas (such as an airport, railroad station, or hotel lobby)
where background noise is present.
3. During the conference, counsel should take particular care to identify themselves
each time they speak, and to speak clearly for the benefit of the Court and the
stenographer.
So Ordered.
/s/ F. Dennis Saylor
F. Dennis Saylor IV
United States District Judge
Dated: August 12, 2014
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