Court Opinion

ID: 9738842
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:04:04.418097+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:08.754738
License: Public Domain

Black, J.
(concurring). I concur with the Chief Justice, yet would add a few words.
Speaking exclusively from experience at the lower level of our trial courtrooms, it is fair to observe that many suits and proceedings come daily to the attention of circuit judges with respect to which, by unanimous agreement of the trial judge and all contenders, no pretrial conference and no pretrial statement are needful for or essential to their due submission. Thus it seems to the writer that, if we are to hint or suggest that it is the duty of court and counsel to consistently follow pretrial procedure in all cases and proceedings, the result is bound to be compulsion — on too many occasions — of Sisyphean labor.
I would add, to our holding that one may waive his right to conference and statement under former (1945) Court Rule No 35 (now GRC 1963, 301), discreet corollary that court and counsel may agree to waive such procedure when all conclude that, to pursue it for the case or proceeding at hand, would simply lend grist to current criticism that lawyers and judges concern themselves too much with forms and too little with justice. An indispensable element of the latter is avoidance of needless motions and needless trips to the courthouse. All such cost money and waste time, as trial lawyers and their regular clients know pretty well.