Trial Setting Conference Statement in San Bernardino: Form & Deadlines

In San Bernardino County Superior Court, the Trial Setting Conference Statement is local form #13-09001-360, and every party in a civil case must file and serve it no later than 10 days before the conference date the clerk set when the complaint was filed. The judge decides the case’s next steps on the papers alone, so what you put on the form is what the court sees.

The Form and the Deadline

Local Rule 411.1 identifies form #13-09001-360 as the required document. You can download it as a fillable PDF from the San Bernardino Superior Court website.¹

The clerk sets the initial trial setting conference when the complaint is filed. That date falls on or before the 26th week after filing, so the conference arrives faster than many litigants expect. You must file and serve the statement no later than 10 days before that date, and the requirement applies to every party.²

What Goes on the Form

Form #13-09001-360 is short, but every field feeds the judge’s scheduling decision. It asks for:

Attorney and party identification — name, State Bar number, address, phone, and email for the attorney or self-represented party.
Service status — whether the complaint and any cross-complaint have been served on all parties, and if not, why not.
A brief description of the claims in the complaint and any cross-complaint.
Discovery status — whether discovery is complete, and if not, when you expect it will be.
Mediation — whether you agree to mediate, and whether you prefer private or court-sponsored mediation.
Related cases, including court, case number, and whether anyone will move to consolidate.
Whether you are requesting trial dates, your available dates, your time estimate, and whether you want a jury or bench trial.
A certification that the parties have met and conferred on the subjects required by California Rules of Court, Rule 3.724, along with any stipulations reached.
Anything else you want the court to consider.

The meet-and-confer certification is not a formality. You have to actually communicate with the other side before you sign it. If you and opposing counsel can agree on available dates or a time estimate, put those stipulations on the form.¹

How to File and Serve It

Since September 2, 2025, attorneys in civil cases must e-file all documents, including this statement. Self-represented litigants can still file on paper at the courthouse or use the court’s e-filing system voluntarily. The court’s website links to approved providers through the Odyssey eFileCA portal.³

Rule 411.1 requires both filing and service. Every other attorney or self-represented party in the lawsuit needs a copy, and you document delivery with a Proof of Service. California’s standard Proof of Service—Civil form covers personal service, mail, overnight delivery, messenger service, and fax, citing Code of Civil Procedure sections 1011, 1013, and 1013a.⁴ A party to the case cannot serve the documents themselves; someone else must handle delivery and sign the proof.

What Happens at the Conference

The initial trial setting conference in San Bernardino is held without any appearance by the parties. The judge reads the filed statements on paper. You do not need to appear at the courthouse unless the court specifically orders an appearance for good cause or because the case is already at issue. If an appearance is required, you can appear remotely unless the court orders otherwise.²

After reviewing the statements against the factors in California Rules of Court, Rule 3.727, the court issues a minute order and sets further dates. Those may include a trial date, additional trial setting conferences, or a later trial readiness conference.²

If the court schedules another trial setting conference after the initial one, the paperwork changes. You then file and serve an At Issue Memorandum no later than 15 days before that later conference, rather than another copy of the initial statement.²

If You Need to Continue the Conference

The court will accept a written stipulation signed by all appearing parties to continue the initial trial setting conference, but only if it is filed at least 30 days before the scheduled date.² If you realize two weeks out that discovery is nowhere close to done or you have not managed to meet and confer, the stipulation window has already closed. File the statement anyway with an accurate description of where things stand.

Continuances of trial dates themselves are disfavored under California Rules of Court, Rule 3.1332, and require an affirmative showing of good cause supported by declarations. The judge weighs prior continuances, the length of the delay, whether counsel is engaged in another trial, and whether all parties stipulated.⁵

Deadlines the Trial Date Sets in Motion

Once the court sets a trial date coming out of the conference, several deadlines start running. Track them from the moment you receive the scheduling order.

Discovery Cutoff

Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 2024.020, you have the right to complete discovery up to 30 days before the initial trial date, and to have discovery motions heard up to 15 days before that date. This is why the discovery-status field on the conference statement matters. Overstating your readiness on the form can lock you out of depositions or subpoenas before you finish the work. A later continuance of the trial does not automatically reopen discovery; you would need a separate motion under CCP section 2024.050.⁶

Jury Fees

Checking the jury-trial box on the form is not enough to secure a jury. Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 631, you must also deposit advance jury fees with the clerk at least 25 calendar days before the date initially set for trial. Failing to post fees, failing to announce a jury demand when the case is first set for trial, or failing to appear at trial counts as a waiver.⁷ Calendar the deposit deadline the moment you get a trial date.

Court Reporter

San Bernardino Superior Court does not provide official court reporters for civil cases. Unless otherwise required by law, official reporters are unavailable for limited and unlimited civil proceedings. If you want a transcript, you hire a private reporter, have that reporter complete the Stipulation and Appointment of Court Reporter Pro Tempore, and file it at least five days before the proceeding at the courthouse district and courtroom where the reporter will work. Both sides must stipulate to the reporter.⁸ Without one, you have no record on appeal.

Consequences of Skipping the Statement

California Rules of Court, Rule 2.30 authorizes reasonable monetary sanctions on any party, attorney, or other person who fails to comply with applicable rules without good cause. If the failure is the attorney’s, the sanction falls on the attorney and cannot harm the client’s case.⁹ The court can also order the non-compliant party to pay the other side’s reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees for bringing the sanctions motion.

Dismissal is on the table too. Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 583.310, a civil action must be brought to trial within five years after it is filed.¹⁰ Well before that outer limit, the court or a defendant can move to dismiss for delay in prosecution if the case has not been brought to trial or conditionally settled within two years.¹¹

Complex Cases Are Different

If your case has been designated complex, none of the above applies. Complex cases in San Bernardino are governed by Local Rule 412, which has its own management procedures and timelines.² If you are unsure about the designation, check your case record or contact the clerk’s office before you file form #13-09001-360.

1
Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Initial Trial Setting Conference Statement
2
Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Local Rules of Court – Rule 411.1 Trial Setting Conference
3
Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Civil eFiling
4
Judicial Council of California. Proof of Service – Civil
5
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 3.1332 – Motion or Application for Continuance of Trial
6
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 2024.020
7
Justia Law. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 631-636
8
Superior Court of California. Court Reporters
9
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.30 – Sanctions for Rules Violations in Civil Cases
10
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 583-310
11
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 3.1340 – Motion for Discretionary Dismissal After Two Years for Delay in Prosecution