Reserve a Hearing Date — Indiana

Reserve a Hearing Date — Indiana

This skill drafts the request to the courtroom's judicial assistant (JA) or bailiff to schedule a hearing on a pending motion. In Indiana, hearing-setting practice varies by county:

• Marion Civil Division: Court typically sets non-evidentiary motions for ruling on the briefs without oral argument; if argument is requested, JA proposes dates.
• Lake Civil Division 5 (Hammond): JA sets routinely based on the courtroom's standing calendar.
• Hamilton, Allen, Vanderburgh: party requests the setting by contact email; JA coordinates.
• Most county Circuit Courts: party calls or emails chambers to discuss available dates; setting order issued by court.

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Generated content is a drafting aid; always confirm hearing-setting protocol with the assigned courtroom's JA before filing a Notice of Hearing.

Step 1 — Identify the assigned courtroom

The cause number identifies the assigned courtroom:

49D01-2503-PL-001234 → Marion Superior Court, Civil Division 1

Look up the courtroom on the court's website (Marion: indy.gov/agency/marion-superior-court; Lake: lakecountyin.gov/superior-court). The page lists:

• Judge's name
• Judicial assistant's name + email
• Courtroom number + location
• Chambers practice page (if any)
• Webex URL (if used)

Step 2 — Draft the scheduling contact

Marion Civil Division — JA email template

To: [JA email — typically firstname.lastname@indy.gov]
From: [Pro se filer email]
Subject: [Cause No.] — Request for Hearing Setting on [Motion]

Dear [Judicial Assistant Name],

I am [Party Name], the [Defendant / Plaintiff], appearing pro
se in [Cause No.]. I write to request a hearing setting on
[Defendant's / Plaintiff's] Motion to [RELIEF], filed [date]
via Odyssey.

The motion is fully briefed (response filed [date]; reply
filed [date]). I respectfully request oral argument under
Trial Rule 73(C) because [reason — e.g., "the motion involves
factual disputes about service of process under Trial Rule
4.1"].

Estimated hearing duration: [X minutes].

Available dates for me:
   - [Date 1]
   - [Date 2]
   - [Date 3]

Please advise whether [Court / Hon. JUDGE NAME] will set this
matter for hearing, and if so, on which date.

Thank you,
[Party Name], Pro Se
[Address]
[Phone]
[Email]

Lake Civil Division 5 — JA email template

To: [Lake JA email — typically last.first@lakecountyin.gov]
Subject: [Cause No.] — Hearing Request

Dear [Judicial Assistant Name],

I am [Party Name], pro se [Defendant / Plaintiff] in [Cause
No.]. I am writing to request a hearing setting on the
following motion:

   Motion to [RELIEF], filed via Odyssey on [date]

The motion has been fully briefed. I am available on the
following dates:

   - [Date 1]
   - [Date 2]
   - [Date 3]

Please confirm the hearing setting at the Court's earliest
convenience.

Sincerely,
[Party Name], Pro Se
[Contact info]

County Circuit Court — Phone call protocol

For smaller counties (Crawford, Switzerland, Ohio), the assigned judge's office typically prefers a phone call:

Caller script:

"Good morning, this is [Party Name] calling about Cause No.
[#####] in the [County] Circuit Court. I'm the [Defendant /
Plaintiff] appearing pro se, and I'd like to discuss
scheduling a hearing on my Motion to [RELIEF], filed last
week.

Could you tell me what dates the Court has available for a
[X-minute] hearing?

[Wait for response. Note dates on calendar.]

Yes, [date] works for me. Will the Court issue a Notice of
Setting, or should I file a Notice of Hearing myself?

[Note the answer.]

Thank you very much."

After the call, document the call in your case file:

Phone log:
   Date: [date]
   Time: [time]
   With: [JA name] at [chambers number]
   Subject: hearing setting on Motion to [RELIEF]
   Outcome: hearing set for [date] at [time]; court will issue
            Notice of Setting; will appear via Webex at [URL]

Step 3 — Wait for the Notice of Setting

Once the JA issues the Notice of Setting (typically 1-3 business days):

• The Notice appears in Odyssey as an entered document
• Email notification is sent to all Service Contacts
• Calendar the hearing date immediately
• Calendar reminder dates (1 week before, day before)

If the JA does NOT issue a Notice of Setting within a reasonable time (typically 5-10 business days), file a Notice of Hearing yourself proposing the agreed date (see in-draft-note).

Hearing-type duration estimates

When requesting a setting, give the JA an accurate duration estimate:

Overestimate slightly — JAs prefer to allocate too much time than too little. If the hearing concludes early, the court recovers the unused time for the next case.

Webex setting considerations

If the courtroom uses Webex (Marion CD-3, Lake CD-5, most populous-county civil courts use it for routine motions):

• The Notice of Setting will include the Webex URL
• Test camera + mic 60 min before
• Have a backup phone-dial-in number ready
• Be prepared to display documents via screen-share if needed

For evidentiary hearings, most Marion / Lake civil judges prefer in-person; party can move for in-person setting on a showing of need.

Continuance vs. resetting

If the assigned hearing date doesn't work, file a Motion to Continue under T.R. 53.5 at least 7 days before the hearing. Continuances must be by written motion in Marion (LR49-TR53.5) and most populous-county venues. The motion should:

• State current setting
• Identify the reason for continuance
• Propose new dates
• Indicate whether opposing party agrees

Composition

• in-statewide-format for the format of any Notice / Motion to Continue
• in-marion / in-lake / in-county-courts for venue setting protocol
• in-pro-se for self-represented contact conventions
• in-draft-note for the Notice of Hearing scaffolder
• in-hearings for hearing preparation once set

References

• references/ja-email-templates.md — per-county JA contact templates
• references/chambers-phone-script.md — phone-call scripts for smaller counties
• references/continuance-motion-template.md — T.R. 53.5 motion to continue
• references/duration-estimates.md — hearing-type duration guide

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Generated content is a drafting aid; verify against current rules and case law before filing.