Civil litigation in Florida is currently undergoing rapid change. The Florida Supreme Court is revising the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure and adopting the “rocket docket” case management standards of our federal courts. Trial continuances will soon become procedural antiquities, granted only under the most exceptional and rare circumstances. Case management orders will impose much shorter deadlines for the completion of discovery so that Daubert and summary judgment motions may be heard sufficiently in advance of trial. The shortening of time from the filing of a complaint to the commencement of trial will exacerbate the already high levels of stress and anxiety experienced by Florida’s civil practitioners. It is therefore imperative to manage what little time we have as effectively as possible.

“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.” —Jean de La Bruyere