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The Probate Trial Judges' administration rules for all probate cases in the county courts at law (the 'Probate Trial Judges' are those CCL judges who, under the current assignment orders, regularly receive more than 25% of probate cases — mental-health cases and Chapter 48 removals excluded), adopted to meet the time standards of Rule 3 of the SECOND ADMINISTRATIVE JUDICIAL REGION Regional Rules of Administration and Rules 6, 7, 9, and 10 of the Supreme Court Rules of Judicial Administration: bench/case exchange at any time; previous-judgment claims stay with the prior-judgment court; consolidation heard where the lowest-numbered case pends; severed cases stay in the original court with a new file date and cause number on fee payment (severance orders stay interlocutory until fees are paid); presiding-for-another-judge designations recorded by the clerk; an ON-CALL judge system (if established by the Board of Judges) takes emergencies when the assigned judge is unavailable — the on-call calendar is on the county Office of Court Administration website, updated quarterly; the Administrative CCL Judge may transfer cases to cure inequitable burdens; the County Clerk automatically transfers misfiled cases before citation issues; docket-control orders and discretionary dismissal dockets per court; WILL-PROBATE CITATIONS must serve the deceased's identical name as contained in the will with accurate citation information; property-sale citation postings satisfy the requirement at 10 days posted; attorneys of record (except ad litems) remain until the case closes or withdrawal is ordered; contested motions in writing with a SEPARATE proposed order, movant-scheduled consideration with written notice of oral vs. submission hearing, written responses at least 24 hours before consideration (late filing needs leave — assumed granted if the court rules without further setting), oral hearing discretionary unless required by law; guardian/attorney ad litem fee requests of $1,000 or more must use the Court-promulgated order form; ADR strongly encouraged with personal party-and-counsel attendance at mediation unless excused; and oral final orders reduced to writing by the prevailing party by the entry date with form-approval attempts and possible sua sponte sanctions. Adopted December 7, 2022 (Judge Claudia Laird, then Presiding Judge, County Court at Law No. 2); effective on the signature of the Judge of the Second Administrative Region and a majority of Probate Trial Judges after TRCP 3a posting.
Texas > Montgomery County > the county courts at law hearing probate cases (the Probate Trial Judges under the current assignment orders). Adopted 2022 when the probate docket sat with County Court at Law No. 2 (Judge Laird); the docket has since moved to Probate Court No. 1 under the registered CCL2-to-PC1 assignment and applicability orders (TOPICs docs 1500 and 1492) — the later statutory-probate administration rules (TOPICs doc 3036, eff. July 2026) supplement this layer for the statutory probate court.
Reviewer note: Image-only registration (six pages) read in full through the vision lane; operative provisions quoted verbatim; signed by Judge Claudia Laird (then CCL2) December 7, 2022; Rule 14.1 conditions effectiveness on the Second Administrative Region judge's signature plus a Probate Trial Judges majority. DUPLICATE REGISTRATION: TOPICs doc 1512 (feed title 'Local Rules - Probate') is the byte-equivalent same instrument (identical Laird/CCL2 Dec-7-2022 probate admin rules, same Rule 1-14 structure and signature page) — folded here, not composed twice. The probate-docket migration to Probate Court No. 1 is carried by separately registered orders adjudicated in this unit. Composed benchpath-ajr2-p2.
Establishes a Traffic Violations Bureau within the Clerk of the County Court under Fla. R. Traf. Ct. 6.100(a) (Burnstein, C.J., Nov. 1, 1988).
Approves the National Highway Safety Council Defensive Driving course as a school to which traffic courts may require attendance (Fla. R. Traf. Ct. 6.110(a)).
Definitions: "'Probate Trial Judges' shall mean those Judges who preside over the County Courts of Law of Montgomery County and who, pursuant to the then current orders of assignment as referenced in Rule 2.1 and Rule 2.2, regularly receive more than 25% of the probate cases (not including mental health cases and Chapter 48 removals)." Rule 1.1: adopted "to achieve the time standards of Rule 3 of the SECOND ADMINISTRATIVE JUDICIAL REGION OF TEXAS REGIONAL RULES OF ADMINISTRATION and Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules of Judicial Administration, as well as to meet the requirements of Rules 7, 9, and 10." Rule 2: "The courts may at any time exchange cases and benches." Rule 4.1: consolidation "shall be heard in the court where the lowest numbered case is pending," with the surviving number being the lowest. Rule 5.1-5.2: severed cases take a new file date and cause number "upon payment of all clerk fees by the party which sought the severance"; a granted severance order "remains interlocutory and subject to being vacated... unless and until any applicable clerk's filing fees are paid." Rule 6.1: presiding-for-another designations are filed and "the clerk of court shall reflect the name of the presiding judge in the case filing system." Rule 6.2: "If the Board of Judges has established an on call judge system," emergencies go to the on-call judge; "The calendar for the on call judges is on the Office of Court Administration website and is updated quarterly." Rule 7: the Administrative CCL Judge may transfer cases between CCLs for inequitable burden. Rule 8.1: "If citation in the misfiled case has not issued, the County Clerk shall automatically transfer any such misfiled cases to the proper Court." Rule 9.3: "In each case where a will is offered for probate, service shall be in the identical name of the deceased contained in the will. In addition, all information on the citation shall be accurate." Rule 9.4: for property sales, "the requirement for posting of citation on the application shall be met when the document has been posted for 10 days." Rule 9.5: "Each attorney of record, except ad litem attorneys, remains attorney of record until the case is closed, unless allowed to withdraw by order of the court." Rule 10.1: contested motions and responses in writing with "a proposed order granting or denying the relief sought. The proposed order shall be a separate instrument." Rule 10.2: movant schedules consideration and serves written notice stating "whether the consideration will be via oral or submission hearing." Rule 10.3: responses "filed at least 24 hours before the date and time of consideration... unless leave for late filing is granted... Leave is assumed granted if the Court rules without further setting on the motion." Rule 11.1: a guardian or attorney ad litem "shall in addition to making an appropriate fee request file with the Court the Court promulgated order form when requesting fees of $1,000.00 or more." Rule 12.2: mediation ordering is discretionary; "A personal appearance by each party and their attorney (if represented) is required at mediation unless otherwise indicated by leave of court." Rule 13: oral final orders are reduced to writing by the prevailing party and filed by the entry date, with form-approval attempts; "Unreasonable refusal to approve such an order may result in sanctions imposed by the court sua sponte." Rule 14.1: "Upon the signature of the Judge of Second Administrative Region and a majority of Probate Trial Judges these Rules... shall become effective immediately after posting in conformity with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 3a." Rule 14.2: amendable by a vote of half the Probate Trial Judges. Adopted and approved December 7, 2022 — Judge Claudia Laird, Presiding Judge, County Court at Law Number Two.
Designates the D.W.I. Counterattack School (Broward County Commission on Alcoholism) as an approved school for court-ordered attendance (Fla. R. Traf. Ct. 6.110(a)).