Mastering the DCM Matrix:
80 Centre Street Protocols.

Where the DCM Programs Sit and How to Reach Them.

The DCM Courtroom is currently Room 103 at 80 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, 646-386-3683. City Case DCM compliance conferences and Motor Vehicle DCM compliance conferences both take place in that courtroom. The court's own published description says "currently," so confirm the room before you travel. The City Case DCM Program can be reached at 646-386-3687 and the Motor Vehicle DCM Program at 646-386-3682.

Check first that your case is actually in the City Program. It covers tort cases in the City Parts, meaning cases in which the City of New York is a party and is represented by the Tort Division of the Corporation Counsel's Office. Special proceedings and City contract, medical malpractice, and lead paint cases are not in the Program.

Counsel do not always have to appear. If counsel submit a completed preliminary conference stipulation and order form before the conference date and the court finds no problems with it, no appearance is required, and the court removes the case from the conference calendar. That is the cheapest outcome available in this part, and it is worth pursuing on every routine case. The stipulated form should show a note of issue date that complies with the applicable DCM target deadline.

One City-specific requirement catches out-of-county firms. The City must have a bill of particulars before a deposition date can be set, so serve the BP before you go in expecting an EBT date.

If you see a problem with the Case Scheduling Order, call the City Case DCM Program and a conference will be scheduled to address it. Modifications are made where good reason is shown, but failure to raise an objection within the period fixed waives it.

Circle, Sign, and Check In.

This section describes our own observations from covering the part. It is not published court procedure, and it can change without notice.

The DCM Courtroom uses a circle-and-sign arrival procedure:

1. Find the daily calendar posted on the wall outside the courtroom door.
2. Circle your firm’s name on the calendar.
3. Print your mobile phone number next to the circled name.
4. Once you and opposing counsel have both arrived and linked up, check in with the Part Clerk.

The clerk moves your case to the “Ready for Conference” queue once both sides have checked in. The order you are called depends on when both parties check in, not when you arrived. This means the faster you and your adversary find each other and check in together, the sooner your matter is heard.

Timing Is Everything in the DCM Part.

This section also describes our own observations from covering the part rather than a published rule. Treat the times as our experience, not as a schedule the court has committed to.

When you submit your conference order relative to the morning rush determines how long you wait.

Before 9:45 AM: Both parties submit their conference order and you are out within 5 to 15 minutes. This is the window you want.

After 10:30 AM: Your wait exceeds one hour. The queue backs up as more cases are called and the Law Attorney works through the stack.

The 11:00 AM default. If the opposing party has not appeared by 11:00 AM, the court generally grants an adjournment rather than entering a default. The DCM Part prefers to give parties multiple chances before imposing sanctions. This is more lenient than Kings County, where non-appearance consequences are swifter.

You Will Likely Deal with a Court Attorney, Not the Judge.

Conferences are held before the Law Secretary of the assigned Justice or before a Court Attorney specially designated for that purpose. These attorneys are experienced and they resolve discovery schedules, extensions, and compliance disputes on the spot.

A problem that cannot be resolved at the conference is referred to the assigned Justice. That referral is the court’s call rather than a right you assert, so the practical move is to arrive with a position you can defend in front of the Law Secretary.

Our own observation from covering the part is that the DCM programs are more flexible on scheduling and extensions than the Kings County Central Compliance Part. Extensions are frequently granted where good cause is shown, such as witness unavailability or pending document production. That flexibility is a matter of practice rather than a published entitlement, and deadlines in the Case Scheduling Order still carry penalties.

Know Your Case’s Track.

Uniform Rule 202.19 governs differentiated case management, and New York County applies it through the following protocol. The clock runs from the filing of the RJI, not from the preliminary conference, which is the single most common miscalculation we see.

Standard: 12 months from RJI filing to the filing of the note of issue.

Complex: 15 months from RJI filing to the filing of the note of issue. The clerk assigns commercial cases, both Commercial Division and non-Division, and medical, dental, and podiatric malpractice cases to this track at the time the RJI is filed.

Mass Torts Ultra-Complex: 20 months.

Tax Certiorari: 48 months.

Matrimonial: six months.

All other cases are treated as Standard. A preliminary conference must be held within 45 days after the RJI is filed, and the DCM clock is not tolled when a motion is filed with the RJI. At the preliminary conference the court will consider a party's request to modify the track assigned at RJI filing. The track assignment determines every deadline in your case, so confirm which track you are on before your first conference.

One caution on reading these dates off a case-tracking service. The DCM deadlines are targets calculated automatically from the RJI, and the court says plainly that counsel should not be misled by a service company reporting a standardized DCM target. The date that actually binds you is the one the assigned Justice directs in an order.

Call the Program Before You Move.

The published protocol puts a notice step in front of any discovery motion. Where a party is aggrieved by another party’s failure to meet a deadline in the Case Scheduling Order, that party shall promptly, prior to the deadline in question and before making a motion, inform the DCM Program of the existence of the dispute. Skipping that call is the fastest way to have a motion sent back at you.

The consequences of noncompliance with the Case Scheduling Order are open-ended rather than fixed. Noncompliance may result in the imposition of a penalty, such as waiver of the discovery, a financial sanction, preclusion, and the like. There is no published count of conferences you must sit through before relief becomes available, so do not plan a discovery strategy around one.

This Guide Is for Attorneys Appearing in the DCM Part for the First Time.

If you are a national firm with a Motor Vehicle case or a City tort case in New York County, your discovery conferences will be in the DCM Courtroom at 80 Centre Street. If you are a solo practitioner covering a Queens or Brooklyn case that was transferred to New York County, the DCM procedures may be new to you. If you are sending per diem coverage for a routine compliance conference, your attorney needs to know the check-in protocol and the morning timing window.

We handle DCM appearances regularly. Frederic R. Abramson has more than 28 years of experience in New York Supreme Court, including thousands of DCM conferences. Every attorney we send has more than 20 years of experience and knows this part well.

Out-of-State? The DCM Part Is Where PHV Attorneys Get Tripped Up.

The DCM Courtroom at 80 Centre Street operates differently from almost every other court in the country. There is no formal calendar call. In our experience covering the part, you circle your name on a posted calendar and wait. If you do not know the protocol, you will waste hours. We appear at DCM conferences for out-of-state firms admitted pro hac vice and handle the entire process.

Learn about our pro hac vice local counsel services →

Flat Rates. No Surprises.

Conferences and motion appearances are priced by half-day session (morning or afternoon). If your appearance runs past 1:00 PM, an additional session fee applies for the afternoon. Depositions, EBTs, and 50-H hearings are billed as flat engagements. Per diem services are for attorneys and law firms only. Rates are quoted on confirmation.

Confirmation within 15 minutes. Report by end of business day.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson, 160 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10038. 212-233-0666.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DCM Part at 80 Centre Street?

The DCM Courtroom is Room 103 at 80 Centre Street, 646-386-3683, and the Differentiated Case Management programs handle the discovery lifecycle for City tort cases and Motor Vehicle cases in New York County Supreme Court, including preliminary conferences, compliance conferences, and discovery disputes. Conferences are held before the Law Secretary of the assigned Justice or a specially designated Court Attorney, and orders are negotiated and signed the same morning.

What time should I arrive at the DCM Part?

You may not have to arrive at all. If counsel submit a completed preliminary conference stipulation and order form before the conference date and the court finds no problems with it, no appearance is required. If you are appearing, our own experience covering the part is that arriving by 9:45 AM and submitting the conference order early usually means an earlier conference and an earlier exit.

Do I meet the judge at a DCM conference?

Usually no. Conferences are held before the Law Secretary of the assigned Justice or a specially designated Court Attorney, who resolves discovery schedules, extensions, and compliance disputes. A problem that cannot be resolved at the conference is referred to the assigned Justice, but the standard conference is resolved at the court attorney level.

Who provides per diem coverage for the Manhattan DCM Part?

The Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson, 160 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10038, provides per diem coverage for DCM conferences at 80 Centre Street, with more than 20 years of New York County practice. A written report follows every appearance by end of business. Call 212-233-0666 or text 917-686-3827 to book an appearance.

What should I send a per diem attorney before a DCM conference?

Send the index number, current discovery status, outstanding items on both sides, and your proposed deadlines. The covering attorney needs authority to agree to a schedule, since DCM orders are negotiated and signed at the conference.