Proposed Amendments to Civil (and Bankruptcy) Rules Posted for Public Comment

The Preliminary Draft of Proposed Amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy and Civil Procedure is now published online for public comment.  The proposed amendments to the civil rules would affect rules 1, 4, 6, 16, 26, 30, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37, 55, 84 and the Appendix of Forms.  Many of the proposed amendments are quite significant, particularly with regard to discovery, and our readers are therefore encouraged to review them carefully and share their thoughts with the Advisory Committee.

All written comments are due by February 15, 2014, and may be submitted electronically or by mail.  Members of the public may also present testimony on the proposed changes at any of three public hearings, scheduled for November 7th in Washington, D.C.; January 9th in Phoenix, AZ; and February 7th in Dallas, TX. 

To learn more about all of the proposed amendments and for instructions regarding how to submit your comments, click here.  For those interested only in the proposed amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure, click here, to be taken directly to a discussion of those proposals.