Discovery Meet-and-Confer Letter

DISCOVERY MEET-AND-CONFER LETTER

(Initial Planning Conference Request — Pre-Dispute)

State of New York

[LAW FIRM LETTERHEAD]
[Firm Name]
[Address Line 1]
[Address Line 2]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Phone] | [Fax] | [Email]

[__/__/____]

VIA: ☐ Email ☐ U.S. Mail ☐ Overnight Courier ☐ NYSCEF

[Opposing Counsel Name]
[Law Firm Name]
[Address Line 1]
[Address Line 2]
[City, State, ZIP]

Re: [Case Name], [Court Name], Index No. [________________________________]
Re: Request for Discovery Planning Conference — 22 NYCRR § 202.12; CPLR § 3101 et seq.

Dear [Opposing Counsel Name]:

PURPOSE OF THIS LETTER

We write on behalf of our client, [________________________________], to request a discovery planning conference in the above-referenced matter. This letter is not a discovery deficiency letter. Its purpose is to proactively establish an efficient and cooperative framework for disclosure and discovery in accordance with the CPLR and the Uniform Civil Rules for the Supreme Court and County Court (22 NYCRR Part 202).

Key Features of New York Discovery Practice:

1. No Automatic Initial Disclosures: Unlike federal courts, New York state practice under the CPLR does not require automatic initial disclosures as a general matter (absent a court order or local rule). Discovery proceeds through formal requests, bills of particulars, and disclosure under CPLR Article 31.

2. Preliminary Conference (§ 202.12): The Uniform Civil Rules require a preliminary conference — often scheduled within 45 days of the filing of the request for judicial intervention (RJI) — at which discovery scheduling is set. Counsel must confer in advance of the preliminary conference.

3. Commercial Division: If this matter is pending in the Commercial Division, additional rules apply under 22 NYCRR § 202.70, including Rule 11-f (ESI protocols), Rule 11-g (deposition guidelines), and the requirement to meet and confer on discovery before raising any discovery dispute with the court.

4. CPLR § 3101 Scope: New York's scope of disclosure is "full disclosure of all matter material and necessary in the prosecution or defense of an action." The "material and necessary" standard is broadly interpreted.

We propose scheduling a discovery planning conference before the preliminary conference to coordinate positions and streamline the court process.

CURRENT CASE POSTURE

• Date Complaint Filed: [__/__/____]
• Date of RJI Filing: [__/__/____]
• Preliminary Conference Date: [__/__/____]
• Court Part / IAS Part: [________________________________]
• Assigned Justice/Judge: [________________________________]
• Trial Ready Date: [__/__/____]
• Commercial Division: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• NYSCEF Case: ☐ Yes ☐ No (NYSCEF Index No.: [____________________])

SECTION 1: DISCLOSURE / DOCUMENT EXCHANGE FRAMEWORK

Unlike federal courts, New York state court discovery proceeds through:
- Bill of Particulars (CPLR §§ 3041–3044): Amplification of pleadings, not evidence.
- Depositions (CPLR §§ 3106–3117): Typically sequenced after document production.
- Document Production (CPLR § 3120): Requests for discovery and inspection.
- Interrogatories (CPLR § 3130): Limited to 25 interrogatories in non-commercial cases (CPLR § 3130(1)).
- Expert Disclosure (CPLR § 3101(d)): Identification of experts before trial; reports in some circumstances.

We propose discussing the sequencing and scope of each type of disclosure at the conference.

Preliminary exchange proposal:
☐ Exchange preliminary witness lists by [__/__/____]
☐ Exchange preliminary document custodian lists by [__/__/____]
☐ Voluntary early production of key documents by [__/__/____]
☐ Bill of particulars: served/demanded by [__/__/____]

SECTION 2: PROPOSED DISCOVERY CONFERENCE AGENDA

A. Claims, Defenses, and Early Resolution

☐ Brief summary of each party's principal claims and defenses
☐ Threshold legal issues suitable for early motion practice (CPLR § 3212 motion for summary judgment)
☐ Settlement possibilities; CPLR § 3102(c) pre-action discovery if appropriate
☐ ADR/mediation timeline

B. Scope of Disclosure (CPLR § 3101)

☐ Key categories of discoverable material — "material and necessary" analysis
☐ Relevant time period: [________________________________]
☐ Principal custodians and departments with relevant documents
☐ Whether document production should precede depositions (typical New York sequencing)
☐ Whether there are unique privilege issues (attorney-client, attorney work product, common interest)

C. Electronically Stored Information (ESI)

For Commercial Division cases, Commercial Division Rule 11-f requires parties to discuss ESI before preliminary conference and submit a proposed ESI protocol. For all cases, ESI disputes are handled under CPLR § 3120.

☐ ESI custodians (anticipated: [____] per side)
☐ Data sources: ☐ Email (exchange/Gmail/other) ☐ Shared drives ☐ Mobile/text messages ☐ Cloud storage ☐ Databases ☐ Social media ☐ Bloomberg/trading systems ☐ Other: [________________________________]
☐ Production format: ☐ Native ☐ TIFF with load file ☐ PDF ☐ Other: [________________________________]
☐ Metadata fields: [________________________________]
☐ De-duplication approach: [________________________________]
☐ Proposed search terms — exchange by [__/__/____]
☐ Collection date range: from [__/__/____] to [__/__/____]
☐ Stipulated ESI protocol: ☐ Yes — use Commercial Division Rule 11-f form ☐ Custom ☐ No

D. Privilege Log and Protective Order

☐ Privilege log format: ☐ Document-by-document ☐ Categorical (per Commercial Division Rule 11-b)
☐ Required fields: date, author, recipient, cc, subject/description, privilege asserted, document type
☐ Timing: privilege logs due within [____] days of each document production
☐ Inadvertent disclosure/clawback: ☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Confidentiality/protective order: ☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Deadline to file proposed protective order: [__/__/____]
☐ Sensitive categories: ☐ Trade secrets ☐ Personal identifying information ☐ Personnel records ☐ Financial records ☐ Other: [________________________________]

E. Discovery Limits and Scheduling

CPLR § 3130 limits interrogatories to 25 in non-commercial cases. The Commercial Division may have different limits. Depositions are generally not subject to a numerical limit absent court order, but the preliminary conference order will set limits.

☐ Interrogatory limit: ☐ Default (25) ☐ Modified: [____]
☐ Deposition limit: [____] fact depositions per side
☐ Deposition time limit: [____] hours per witness
☐ Expert disclosures: [____] days before trial
☐ Document production cutoff: [__/__/____]
☐ Note of Issue / Certificate of Readiness deadline: [__/__/____]

F. Deposition Scheduling and Logistics

☐ Deposition sequencing: plaintiff first or defendant first?
☐ Priority depositions: [________________________________]
☐ Preferred locations: [________________________________]
☐ Remote depositions: ☐ Agreed ☐ Not agreed
☐ Corporate/entity designee (CPLR § 3106(d)): ☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Videotaped depositions: ☐ Yes ☐ No

G. Third-Party Discovery and Non-Party Subpoenas

☐ Anticipated non-party subpoenas (CPLR §§ 2301, 3120): ☐ Yes (identify: [________________________________]) ☐ No
☐ Advance notice of non-party subpoenas: [____] days agreed
☐ Authorization forms for medical/employment records: ☐ To be provided ☐ Not applicable

H. Preservation and Litigation Hold

☐ Confirm each party has implemented a litigation hold covering all potentially relevant ESI and documents.
☐ Identify data sources subject to auto-deletion or scheduled destruction.
☐ Agreement to provide advance notice before modifying any hold.

I. Preliminary Conference Coordination

☐ Agree on joint positions before the § 202.12 preliminary conference
☐ Coordinate on the preliminary conference order (PCO) deadlines
☐ Commercial Division: meet-and-confer on ESI protocol for submission with PCO
☐ Discuss any anticipated discovery disputes to be raised at the preliminary conference

SECTION 3: PROPOSED DATES FOR CONFERENCE

We are available for the discovery planning conference on the following dates:

Option 1: [__/__/____] at [____]:00 [____]M (ET)
Option 2: [__/__/____] at [____]:00 [____]M (ET)
Option 3: [__/__/____] at [____]:00 [____]M (ET)

Preferred format: ☐ Telephone ☐ Zoom/Video ☐ In person at: [________________________________]

SECTION 4: REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

Please respond no later than [__/__/____] ([____] days from the date of this letter) to:

1. Confirm your availability for the discovery planning conference;
2. Propose any modifications to the proposed agenda; and
3. Advise on any preliminary positions regarding ESI, privilege, or discovery scope that you wish to address in advance of the preliminary conference.

We are committed to conducting discovery efficiently and in accordance with New York's disclosure rules and the applicable Part Rules of the assigned court.

Respectfully submitted,

[________________________________]
[Attorney Name]
[New York Attorney Registration Number: ____________________]
[Law Firm Name]
[Address]
[Phone] | [Email]
Counsel for [________________________________]

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that on [__/__/____], a true and correct copy of the foregoing was served upon:

[Opposing Counsel Name], [Law Firm], [Address]

☐ NYSCEF electronic filing and service
☐ Electronic mail to: [________________________________]
☐ U.S. First Class Mail, postage prepaid
☐ Other: [________________________________]

[________________________________]
[Attorney Name]

ATTACHMENTS

☐ Attachment A — Proposed ESI Search Terms
☐ Attachment B — Draft Stipulated Protective Order / Confidentiality Order
☐ Attachment C — Draft Clawback/Non-Waiver Agreement
☐ Attachment D — Commercial Division Rule 11-f ESI Protocol (if applicable)

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• CPLR Article 31 (Disclosure): https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVP
• 22 NYCRR § 202.12 (Preliminary Conference): https://www.nycourts.gov/rules/trialcourts/202.shtml
• Commercial Division Rules (22 NYCRR § 202.70): https://www.nycourts.gov/rules/trialcourts/202-70.shtml
• New York Commercial Division Rule 11-f (ESI): https://www.nycourts.gov/
• NYSCEF E-filing: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/