Kings County Final Conference Part.
What Every Law Firm Needs to Know.

The Kings County Note of Issue Final Conference Part is the gatekeeper to the trial calendar. Calendar call is 9:30 AM. The court confirms the Note of Issue is filed, discovery is closed, and the case is ready for trial. This guide covers how the Final Conference Part works, what to bring, the most common mistakes, and how to handle coverage when conflicts arise.

Book Final Conference Coverage

Last verified: April 2026

Verified against nycourts.gov part assignments and confirmed by ongoing in-person appearances in the Kings County Final Conference Part at 360 Adams Street. See revision notes at the bottom of this page.

It is 9:35 AM. Your associate's phone is ringing. The partner, not the client, which is somehow worse. They were stuck on the BQE. The Kings County Final Conference Part calendar call was at 9:30. They missed it. If your firm was the plaintiff, the case just came off the trial calendar or was marked off entirely. If you were the defendant, the court entered a default. Either way, the trial date you spent two years working toward is now in jeopardy, and a conference that should have taken twenty minutes is weeks of motion practice.

It is a preventable mistake. But it happens constantly to firms that are unfamiliar with how the Kings County Note of Issue Final Conference Part actually works.

What Is the Kings County Note of Issue Final Conference Part?

The Note of Issue Final Conference Part, commonly called the Final Conference Part or NI-FCP, is the last pre-trial conference in civil litigation in Kings County Supreme Court (Brooklyn, New York). It is the gatekeeper to the trial calendar. The judge rotates between Hon. Brian L. Gotlieb and Hon. Leon Ruchelsman.

At a Final Conference appearance, the court confirms that the Note of Issue and Certificate of Readiness have been filed, that discovery is closed (or addresses any narrow open items), and that the case is ready to be placed on the trial calendar. If the Note of Issue has not yet been filed, the court will set a firm deadline. It is the last pre-trial off ramp before the case becomes a trial date.

Where Does the Final Conference Part Fit in the Litigation Timeline?

The Note of Issue Final Conference comes after the compliance conference and is typically the last conference before the case is placed on the trial calendar. Here is where it sits:

Preliminary Conference

Establishes the initial discovery schedule

Compliance Conference (CCP)

Checks that discovery is on track and sets a Note of Issue deadline

Final Conference Part (NI-FCP) — You Are Here

Confirms the Note of Issue is filed and the case is ready for the trial calendar

Trial Calendar / Pre-Trial Conference

The case is placed on the active trial calendar and assigned for trial

The Final Conference Part is the off ramp before trial. By this point, the Note of Issue is supposed to be filed. The court is not looking to extend deadlines casually. If discovery is genuinely incomplete or the Note of Issue cannot be filed on time, the parties should have a written stipulation extending the deadline ready to submit at the conference.

How the Final Conference Calendar Works

Understanding the mechanics of the Final Conference Part calendar is the difference between a smooth appearance and a trial date pushed by months.

Calendar Call Time

The Final Conference Part has a single calendar call at 9:30 AM. The judge rotates between Hon. Brian L. Gotlieb and Hon. Leon Ruchelsman. The room is the same room used by the Compliance Conference Part at 360 Adams Street. There is no second call.

One Call, No Second Chances

Plaintiff fails to appear: The case may be marked off the calendar or dismissed under CPLR 3216 for failure to prosecute.

Defendant fails to appear: A default order may be entered against you.

Restoring a case marked off, or vacating a default this late in the litigation, requires motion practice. After two years of discovery, that is the last place a client wants to be. Plan coverage before the date, not the morning of.

Note of Issue and Stipulation Practice

The whole point of the Final Conference Part is to confirm that the Note of Issue and Certificate of Readiness have been filed and the case is trial ready. If the Note of Issue is filed and discovery is closed, the conference is short. If not, the parties have two practical paths:

Stipulation extending the Note of Issue deadline. If all sides agree that a narrow item of discovery is still outstanding (a non-party deposition, an outstanding IME, a records subpoena response), prepare a written stipulation extending the NOI filing date and have it signed before the conference.
So-ordered compliance schedule. If the parties cannot agree, the court will impose its own deadline at the appearance. That deadline is generally less generous than what the parties would have agreed to themselves.

Either path requires that someone with substantive knowledge of the file appears at the 9:30 AM call. The court will not entertain a substantive request from an attorney who cannot answer questions about discovery status.

What to Bring and Know Before You Appear

Walking into a Final Conference Part appearance without preparation is a fast path to a court-imposed trial readiness deadline you did not choose. Come ready with the following:

Final Conference Appearance Checklist

Note of Issue and Certificate of Readiness status — Filed? Filed under reservation? Not yet filed? Have the e-filing receipt or the reason it has not been filed.
Closing discovery status — What is genuinely complete and what is the narrow open item, if any.
Proposed NOI date or extension stipulation — If the NOI has not been filed, have a written stipulation extending the deadline signed by all sides, ready to submit.
Outstanding motion calendar — The court will ask whether anything is sub judice that affects trial readiness.
Settlement posture — The Final Conference Part is often the last realistic settlement window before trial. Know your authority and your client's bottom line.
Substantive case knowledge — This late in the case the court expects the appearing attorney to know the file. A pure ministerial appearance will not survive a substantive question.

The Five Most Common Final Conference Mistakes

After more than 28 years of covering Kings County conference parts, the same mistakes come up at the Final Conference Part again and again. Here are the five most costly:

Treating the Final Conference Like a Compliance Conference

The Final Conference Part is not the place to negotiate a generous discovery extension. By this stage the court expects discovery to be substantially complete and the Note of Issue filed or about to be filed. Showing up with a long list of outstanding items and no stipulation in hand will produce a court-imposed deadline that is shorter than anything the parties would have agreed to.

Showing Up Without the Note of Issue Filed (or a Signed Extension Stipulation)

The Note of Issue is the entire reason the part exists. If it has been filed, bring the filing receipt. If it has not, bring a stipulation signed by all parties extending the deadline to a specific date. Showing up without either is the single most reliable way to get the trial date pushed.

Sending Someone Who Cannot Answer Substantive Questions

The Final Conference Part is the last conference before trial. The court will ask substantive questions: where is the case on settlement, what is the unresolved discovery, who is the trial attorney. A purely ministerial appearance with no file knowledge is a problem this late in the litigation.

Missing the 9:30 AM Calendar Call

9:30 AM is earlier than many other Kings County conference parts. Attorneys and per diems used to a 10:00 or 11:00 calendar are routinely late on their first Final Conference appearance. Plan coverage accordingly. Plaintiff defaults late in a case can result in the matter being marked off the calendar or dismissed under CPLR 3216.

Treating the Conference as a Formality

It is the last realistic settlement opportunity before trial. The judges of the Final Conference Part frequently push the parties to settle at this stage. Showing up without authority, or without a clear settlement posture from your client, wastes the most useful conference window in the entire case.

When and How to Use a Per Diem Attorney for Final Conference Coverage

Used correctly, a per diem attorney is one of the most efficient tools a civil litigation firm has at the Final Conference Part. Used carelessly, it creates more exposure than it solves at the worst possible point in the case, right before trial.

When Per Diem Coverage Makes Sense

Scheduling conflicts — your trial attorney is on trial, in mediation, or covering another conference the same morning
Understaffed litigation departments handling high volumes of Kings County matters
Out-of-area firms with a single Kings County matter who lack a Brooklyn presence
Cost-efficiency — a flat-fee conference appearance at a fraction of associate billing rates, especially when the conference is largely procedural

What to Brief Your Per Diem Attorney On

The Final Conference Part is later in the case than the CCP. The brief is shorter but the substantive content is denser. Give them:

Note of Issue and Certificate of Readiness status (filed, not filed, and the date)
Any narrow open discovery and the reason it is still outstanding
A signed extension stipulation, if applicable, ready to be submitted
Settlement posture and authority, if the court is likely to push settlement
Opposing counsel's name and contact information
The trial attorney's name and any specific instructions on positioning

What to Expect After the Appearance

A reliable per diem attorney provides a written summary immediately after the appearance: what the court ordered, any deadlines imposed, and the status of the case going forward. At the Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson, every Final Conference appearance includes a same-day email report so you are never in the dark about what happened in court.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Kings County Note of Issue Final Conference Part?

The Kings County Note of Issue Final Conference Part (NI-FCP) is the final pre-trial conference in civil litigation in Kings County Supreme Court. It is the gatekeeper to the trial calendar. The court confirms that the Note of Issue and Certificate of Readiness have been filed, that discovery is complete, and that the case is ready to be placed on the trial calendar.

What time is the calendar call for the Kings County Final Conference Part?

The Final Conference Part calendar call is at 9:30 AM. Plaintiffs who miss the call risk dismissal. Defendants who miss it risk having a default order entered. The judge rotates between Hon. Brian L. Gotlieb and Hon. Leon Ruchelsman.

Can I get an adjournment at the Kings County Final Conference?

Adjournments at the Final Conference Part are disfavored. The whole purpose of the part is to certify that the case is trial ready. If you need additional time to file the Note of Issue, work out a stipulation extending the NOI deadline before the conference date and have it ready to submit, rather than asking for an adjournment at the call.

What happens if no one appears at the Kings County Final Conference?

If you are the plaintiff and fail to answer the 9:30 AM calendar call, your case will be marked off the calendar or dismissed under CPLR 3216 for failure to prosecute. If you are the defendant and fail to appear, a default order may be entered. In either scenario, restoring your position requires motion practice, which is far more costly than covering the appearance in the first place.

What is the difference between the CCP and the Final Conference Part?

The Compliance Conference Part (CCP) monitors discovery progress and sets the Note of Issue deadline. The Final Conference Part comes after the Note of Issue is filed (or supposed to be filed) and certifies that the case is trial ready. CCP is mid-discovery oversight. Final Conference is the last stop before the trial calendar. Both parts share the same room at 360 Adams Street.

How do I hire a per diem attorney for a Kings County Final Conference appearance?

You can order a per diem attorney for Kings County Final Conference coverage at abramsonlegal.com. Provide the court date, current Note of Issue status, any outstanding discovery, your proposed trial readiness position, and opposing counsel's contact information. A same-day email report is included with every appearance.

The Bottom Line

The Kings County Final Conference Part is the off ramp before trial. One calendar call at 9:30 AM, the Note of Issue is the focus, and the court is no longer in the business of granting generous extensions. After two years of discovery, this is the conference where the case either certifies as trial ready or gets pushed.

Understanding the rules before you appear, or before you assign coverage, is the difference between a clean trial date and a case marked off the calendar. Whether you are handling it yourself or delegating to a per diem, preparation is everything. Bring the Note of Issue receipt, bring an extension stipulation if you need one, and bring an attorney who knows the file.

If you need reliable, experienced coverage for your next Kings County Final Conference Part appearance, we have handled these conferences for more than 28 years.