SCPA § 510

Pretrial conference At any time after issue has been joined, the court, in its discretion, may require the attendance of all parties and ... · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 510. Pretrial conference

At any time after issue has been joined, the court, in its discretion, may require the attendance of all parties and counsel at one or more pretrial conferences. The conferences shall be held for the purpose of settlement negotiation, or, in the alternative, to narrow the issues for trial, seek agreement among the parties and counsel as to the admissibility of evidence, seek agreement as to the order in which witnesses will be called, and otherwise provide for the speedy and orderly conduct of trial. Absent objection placed on the record, during a pretrial conference the court may confer with any party or parties and their counsel outside of the presence of any other party or parties and their respective counsel.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/SCP/510

In plain English

The court may call pretrial conferences once issue is joined.

When: at any time after issue has been joined, the court in its discretion may require all parties and counsel to attend one or more pretrial conferences.
Purpose: settlement negotiation, or alternatively narrowing the issues, seeking agreement on admissibility of evidence and the order of witnesses, and otherwise providing for a speedy, orderly trial. ★
Separate conferring: absent an objection placed on the record, the court may confer with any party and counsel outside the presence of the other parties and their counsel. ★

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Surrogate's Court in Plain English; Volume 2 — The Surrogate's Court Procedure Act; Volume 5 — Your Career: Surrogate's Court in Plain English.