Apparently, in order to file any sort of motion in civil case in Alameda County, one must have reservation. However, this requirement doesn't show up anywhere that I have been able to find in the local rules. (First to find the rule gets you the booby prize). The first place I can find this little requirement is if I go to the through a series of webpages and find the one dealing with the law and motion.
So then, in order to get the frigging reservation you have to track down a clerk. They ask you email them. Apparently, if the past 24 hours is anything to go by, they do not check the reservation request email very often. You can try calling the number that is listed on the website.... except that you will discover that that this is no longer the number and that there are three other numbers that you can try. But there is no guarantee that anyone will a) pick up the phone or b) that the number you are calling will necessarily get you to the right clerk.
(The last part was helpfully pointed out to me by one of the clerks I was finally able to track down who expressed their exasperation over the situation. They are tired of getting yelled at by irate attorneys who run afoul what I now call the "secret rules". According to him, he has been fighting with the IT department for months to get the website updated to reflect the new procedures)
Fortunately, having done a stint back in Delaware, where there really were secret rules (such as the rule that stated unpublished opinions had precedential value... its in an unpublished opinion) I can deal with this. But when no one is able to actually issue a fraking reservation number when you give them all the information in the first email....
And then its emails and telephone calls back and forth...
Working around some clerk's break schedule...
Which seems to mandate a break of a lunch hour more than hour and a half long followed twenty minutes later by a forty-five minute break....
And its the last possible day to file the motion because the other side has suddenly gone back on their agreement to extend time....
And the courier has an iron clad rule that nothing after 3:00 p.m. will be able to be filed on the court...
Things start getting a lil tense.
Fortunately, I got the document to the courier with about 90 seconds to spare.... about 90 seconds after the clerk finally stopped changing (really, you mean you want to give me another different number? because the one you just gave me was bad why?) the reservation number on me
I understand that the court needs to order its docket and prevent it from being overrun. But if you are going to control the docket, then why not tell people how to do it so they don't end up looking like this ...
...after the filing finally goes out the door. I cannot express how much I hate this system.
1 comment:
LOL! And I'm having at this pro se!
Post a Comment