How to Schedule a Broward Civil Special-Set Hearing: A Verification Checklist

A special-set hearing is not simply a longer Uniform Motion Calendar slot. Broward Local Rule 10A places matters outside UMC under the assigned judge’s practices and procedures, including the materials and timing requirements for that division.

This guide teaches operational verification. It does not decide whether a motion should be filed, whether a matter legally qualifies for a special set, how much time it requires, whether an emergency exists, or what legal position the firm should take. Obtain those decisions from the responsible attorney or authorized supervisor before scheduling.

Use the complete case number and current Broward Clerk record to confirm the case style, open status, assigned judge and division, filed motion, docket information, parties, counsel, and any order that controls scheduling. Then compare that information with the CMS case display before selecting an event.

An old pleading, hearing notice, saved bookmark, or prior CMS event may reflect a stale judicial assignment. Stop and resolve any mismatch between the clerk record, CMS, and the court’s judiciary directory before proceeding.

Local Rule 10A directs anyone scheduling a special-set hearing to review the assigned judge’s practices and procedures. Those instructions may determine whether a matter may be self-scheduled, what duration categories are available, whether a longer or evidentiary matter requires a request to the judicial assistant or a status hearing, how appearances occur, and when materials are due.

Some divisions may publish 15- or 30-minute CMS categories, while others use a different route. Treat those durations as division-specific options, not a countywide promise. Never stack short slots to create a longer hearing.

Complete the conferral and coordination required by the current rules, Local Rule 10A, the assigned judge’s procedure, case orders, and the firm’s approved process. Preserve a factual record of participants, communication method, dates, responses, narrowed issues, proposed hearing dates, requested duration, and appearance method.

Local Rule 10A requires specified good-faith language in the body of a special-set notice and requires direct communication before the hearing. The responsible attorney should approve the applicable certification, notice period, and final notice language rather than leaving those legal decisions to the scheduler.

When the assigned division permits self-scheduling, enter CMS through the Seventeenth Circuit’s official link and locate the exact case. Compare the displayed style, judge, division, parties, counsel, and motion list with the live source record before selecting anything.

Choose the exact filed motion, authorized special-set category, one permitted duration, coordinated date, time, and appearance information. The CMS FAQ states that the motion associated with an event cannot be changed after scheduling; correction may require judicial-assistant help or cancellation and rescheduling, with a risk of losing the slot.

CMS obtains e-service information from the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, but the CMS FAQ explains that users can unselect parties when scheduling. Imported recipients are therefore not automatically a verified service list. Resolve missing, duplicate, represented, self-represented, or incorrect recipient issues through the authorized process before submission.

The CMS FAQ states that a hearing notice is e-serviced through the Portal when scheduling. Open the resulting notice or receipt and compare the case, motion, judge, date, time, duration, appearance instructions, and recipients with the approved scheduling record. Complete any additional filing, service, or notice step required by the division.

Upload hearing materials only through the function and deadline authorized by the assigned division, and attach them to the exact event. The CMS FAQ explains that attachments can be checked through the Calendar view and are retained for a limited period, so preserve the firm’s own approved record as well.

A document uploaded to CMS for judicial review is not necessarily filed with the Broward Clerk or served on the parties. Treat clerk filing, service, CMS attachment, proposed-order submission, and internal storage as separate events, each requiring its own proof.

Verify the scheduled hearing in the CMS Docket or Calendar view, the clerk docket when applicable, the service record, the controlling notice, and the office calendar. Recheck the judge’s current procedure and appearance information before the hearing, and give the responsible attorney a concise record of the event and remaining deadlines.

For a CMS-scheduled special set, Local Rule 10A says a filed notice of cancellation alone is insufficient: the scheduling party must also cancel through the online system and email all parties and the judicial assistant. A hearing scheduled by the court has additional limits and may be cancelled only under the conditions stated in the rule. Obtain authorization, follow every applicable court and division step, and keep preparing until removal is verified.