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23 verbatim requirements from the 15th Circuit's Division Z instructions page as published today.
Fifteenth Judicial Circuit (Palm Beach) — Division Z only. Division instructions change with judicial rotations; the division's own page controls. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
• All communications with the judicial office must comply with Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits a judge from initiating, permitting, or considering ex parte communications and from considering other communications outside the presence of the parties concerning a pending or impending proceeding, unless authorized by law. • All parties must be copied on any e-mail directed to the judicial office, unless an ex parte communication is authorized by law. • All attorneys and self-represented litigants must make and receive service by e-mail, which is generally through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, unless excused. • All attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an e-mail address to receive signed orders electronically, unless excused. • All parties must comply with Local Rule 4 prior to requesting a hearing. • A notice of hearing must be filed and served immediately after reserving hearing time. • A notice of hearing involving any remote appearance must list the Division Z Zoom link. • The court must receive all materials for the hearing, including any responses, case law, memorandum, etc. no later than five (5) business days before the hearing. • Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e). • Requests to use communication technology for an appearance at any evidentiary hearing, or by any witness, must be made by motion. • Plea Conference, Trials, and Evidentiary Hearings must be in person absent prior approval from the court. • Attorneys should designate themselves as "Attorney first and last name" or "first and last name, Esq." Any person appearing remotely must dress and behave professionally in the same manner as if physically present in the courtroom. • If a witness appears remotely, the party calling the witness must ensure the witness has a functioning camera and microphone and has tested the internet connection before the hearing. • All participants in a remote hearing must have a camera, microphone and speaker to allow them to be seen and heard during a remote proceeding. • If using a smart phone or tablet, you must download the Zoom app. • All proposed orders must be submitted in Word format and provided to opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant. • All proposed orders must be accompanied by a document either (1) confirming the agreement of the parties or (2) containing a statement identifying any disagreement of the parties as to the proposed order. • Proposed orders must be submitted no later than one week after any hearing unless otherwise stated by the court. • Courtesy Copies of Case Law and Other Documents Courtesy copies of properly filed Motions must be submitted to the Court by email to CAD-DivisionZ@pbcgov.org for any hearing or trial. • If a party believes there is a factual basis for setting an emergency hearing, a detailed motion setting forth the following must be filed: • All parties shall make themselves available for the emergency hearing, barring exigent circumstances. • Exhibits for Evidentiary Proceedings Original exhibits must be brought to court for any hearing. • All attorneys and self-represented litigants must bring sufficient copies of each exhibit for the clerk, the court, and each party to review during the hearing or trial.
All communications with the judicial office must comply with Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits a judge from initiating, permitting, or considering ex parte communications and from considering other communications outside the presence of the parties concerning a pending or impending proceeding, unless authorized by law.
Reviewer note: Composed fresh after the July 2026 rotation replaced division instructions; the prior requirement-level rules for this division sit at medium with notes pointing here. Verbatim from the division's own instructions page, fetched live 2026-08-03 (sha256 65288df5ef76cab3…); whitespace normalised only. [moved from the text 2026-09-14]
1 verbatim requirement on judge preferences.
20 verbatim requirements on judge preferences.