What Is a Case Management Conference in California?

A case management conference in California is an early planning hearing in a civil lawsuit where the judge, the attorneys, and any self-represented parties set the schedule that will carry the case to resolution. The court sets the initial conference in every general civil case, with timing driven by local rules; many counties schedule it roughly 120 to 180 days after the complaint is filed. No witnesses testify and no evidence comes in. The judge is there to build a workable timeline, consider whether the case belongs in mediation or arbitration, and remove anything that would cause avoidable delay.¹

What the Judge Is Trying to Decide

At the initial conference, the court reviews the case comprehensively, decides whether to send it to alternative dispute resolution, considers whether it’s ready for a trial date, and addresses procedural issues that could slow it down.¹ In practice the judge is answering three questions: how complicated is this case, what’s a realistic timeline, and is there any way to resolve it short of trial?

Behind those questions sit California’s case disposition time goals, which push courts to resolve the large majority of unlimited civil cases within 12 to 18 months of filing and all of them within two years.² Those benchmarks shape how aggressive the schedule will be.

What You Have to Do Before the Conference

Two deadlines control your preparation.

First, at least 30 calendar days before the initial CMC, every party must meet and confer, by phone or in person, about the major issues in the case.³ This is required, not optional. Topics you need to cover include:

Discovery disputes and scheduling — document requests, depositions, and the deadlines for exchanging information.
Motions either side is planning, and whether any of them can be resolved informally.
Whether there’s any realistic path to settlement.
How electronically stored information will be preserved, produced, and paid for.
Trial availability for parties and counsel.

Judges notice when parties haven’t meaningfully worked through these issues, and it affects how the rest of the conference goes.

Second, each party files a Case Management Statement on Judicial Council Form CM-110 and serves it on every other party at least 15 days before the conference.⁴ The form, available on the California Courts website, asks you to summarize the case and state your position on the issues the judge will decide at the hearing.⁵ You’ll report:

Whether all parties have been served, have appeared, or have been dismissed.
A short description of the case, including damages and any injuries claimed.
Whether you’re requesting a jury trial and your estimated trial length.
What discovery has been completed and what remains.
Whether you’re willing to participate in mediation, arbitration, or other ADR.
Any insurance coverage issues that could affect resolution.

Appearing without having filed the statement, or filing it half-finished, can draw sanctions and starts the conference on bad terms.

What Happens at the Hearing

The CMC is a formal hearing but looks nothing like a trial. The judge, the attorneys, and any self-represented litigants appear. Many courts allow telephonic or video appearances; check the local rules for your county. The judge will have read the Case Management Statements already and will lead the discussion from there.

Most conferences center on a few practical questions: Is discovery on schedule? Are motions coming that could reshape the case? Is settlement possible? The court can also address whether new parties should be added, whether claims should be split into separate proceedings, and whether a party qualifies for a statutory trial preference that puts the case on a faster track.⁶

Expect the judge to ask about ADR. Courts push mediation and arbitration at this stage because early resolution saves time and money. If the judge orders you into mediation, you must participate, though you don’t have to settle. Come ready to explain your position either way.

The Case Management Order

After the conference, the judge issues a Case Management Order. It’s legally binding, and the deadlines in it are not suggestions.¹ A typical order sets:

The cutoff for fact discovery, including depositions, document requests, and interrogatories.
The deadline for disclosing expert witnesses.
The last day to file dispositive motions such as summary judgment.
The date for a final status conference before trial.
The trial date.

Once signed, the order controls the case until a later order changes it. Modifying a deadline requires a motion and a showing of good cause, meaning a legitimate reason the original timeline doesn’t work, not simply that you fell behind. Opposing counsel will almost certainly object to any extension that benefits the other side.

If More Conferences Are Scheduled

The initial CMC is often not the last. If the court believes the case needs further oversight because discovery has stalled, the parties aren’t cooperating, or the complexity warrants it, the judge can set additional conferences.⁷ Each one follows the same pattern: file an updated Case Management Statement at least 15 days before, appear at the hearing, and be ready to explain where the case stands. These later conferences are where stalled cases tend to get moving again, and showing up unprepared rarely helps your credibility.

What Happens If You Don’t Comply

The penalties for ignoring case management requirements are real. If a party or attorney fails to comply, the court can strike pleadings, dismiss the case, enter a default judgment, or impose monetary sanctions including the other side’s attorney fees.⁸ The court can act on its own or on a motion from the opposing party, but it has to give notice and a chance to be heard first.

One protection matters: if the failure was your attorney’s fault rather than yours, the statute directs that the penalty fall on the attorney, not on your case.⁸ In practice, a missed deadline or no-show damages the case regardless of who was at fault, and sorting out responsibility afterward is harder than preparing properly in the first place.

Beyond CMC-specific sanctions, repeated delay puts the whole lawsuit at risk. California courts have statutory authority to dismiss a case for delay in prosecution when circumstances warrant, and chronic failures at case management conferences are exactly the kind of circumstances courts cite when they do.⁹

1
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 3.722 – Case Management Conference
2
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court – Standard 2.2 Trial Court Case Disposition Time Goals
3
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 3.724 – Duty to Meet and Confer
4
California Courts | Self Help Guide. Case Management Statement (CM-110)
5
Judicial Council of California. Form CM-110 – Case Management Statement
6
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 3.727 – Subjects to Be Considered at the Case Management Conference
7
California Courts | Self Help Guide. Case Management Conference
8
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 575.2
9
California.Public.Law. California Code of Civil Procedure 583.410