The Suffolk Riverhead ADR Part.
Upload the BP and Police Report First.
Suffolk County Supreme Court runs an ADR conference program in Riverhead, and its rules carry a requirement that catches out-of-county firms off guard: the Bill of Particulars and the police report must be uploaded before the conference. This guide covers the requirement, who should attend, and how to prepare so the conference actually accomplishes something.
Book ADR CoverageLast verified: July 23, 2026
Based on the Suffolk County ADR Part rules and our own covered ADR conferences in Riverhead. Program mechanics can change; confirm current requirements against the Suffolk County Supreme Court pages on nycourts.gov and the notices in your own case before the conference date.
Most conference parts forgive a thin file. You appear, you report on status, you take the next date. The Riverhead ADR Part is built differently: the conference is a working settlement event, and the rules require the substantive documents to be in front of the neutral before anyone sits down. Arrive without the required uploads on file and you have not just wasted the trip, you have told the court the case was not taken seriously.
What the Riverhead ADR Part Is
The ADR Part is Suffolk County Supreme Court's court-annexed alternative dispute resolution program, run out of the courthouse at 1 Court Street, Riverhead. It is an early Neutral Evaluation program on a dual track: after the RJI and request for a preliminary conference, the case is screened for ADR, an ADR PC Order issues providing for the limited discovery needed for a meaningful evaluation, and the case is simultaneously assigned to an IAS justice. The initial Neutral Evaluation session is set roughly 120 days from the PC Order, with a compliance conference before the assigned IAS judge roughly 60 days after that.
The sessions are presided over by judges, Judicial Hearing Officers, court attorneys, and court-approved retired judges and retired litigators. The typical referral docket is motor vehicle, slip and fall, contract, and consumer credit cases; medical malpractice, Labor Law, and Commercial Division matters are outside the program. Counsel for both sides must attend, plaintiffs in personal injury actions are expected to be available by phone, and carriers' claim representatives must be reachable as well. The program is free to litigants.
For a personal injury case, the session is a real evaluation conversation: liability, injuries, specials, and number ranges, not a scheduling call. Because the conference is evaluative, the program front-loads the paperwork. The neutral cannot evaluate what is not in the file.
The Required Uploads: Bill of Particulars and Police Report
The ADR Part rules require that the Bill of Particulars and the police report be uploaded before the conference. This is the requirement that separates prepared counsel from everyone else, and it is enforced in practice, not just on paper. We have covered conferences in this part and can confirm the court expects both documents on file ahead of the appearance.
Why firms miss it
The ADR notice looks like any other conference notice, and firms outside Suffolk treat it like a compliance conference: send an appearance, report status, get a date. The upload requirement lives in the ADR rules, not on the face of the calendar entry. If your calendar clerk dockets the date without reading the part rules, the deadline goes unnoticed until the neutral asks where the BP is.
Practical tip
Upload both documents as soon as the ADR conference is scheduled, not the night before. If the police report is outstanding, order it the day the notice arrives. And whoever appears should carry copies anyway; the appearance where everything is already on file and in hand is the appearance that ends with progress.
Who Should Attend
Send someone who can talk about the case, not just about the calendar. Because the ADR conference is a settlement event, the appearing attorney should know the liability theory, the injuries and treatment history, the specials, and the current demand and offer posture, and should either hold settlement authority or have direct same-day access to the person who does. A pure status appearance wastes the part's purpose and usually earns a follow-up date that could have been avoided.
When we cover an ADR conference for a referring firm, we ask for exactly that package ahead of the appearance: the BP, the police report, the medicals summary, and the authority posture. It is the difference between reporting back "adjourned" and reporting back movement.
Pre-Conference Checklist
Before the Riverhead ADR conference
- Upload the Bill of Particulars. Required before the conference under the ADR rules.
- Upload the police report. Same requirement. If it is not yet in hand, order it immediately.
- Confirm both uploads appear in the case file. Do not assume; verify on NYSCEF.
- Prepare an evaluation summary. Liability, injuries, treatment, specials, demand and offer history.
- Settle the authority question. Who can say yes to a number on conference day, and how the appearing attorney reaches them.
- Brief the appearing attorney. If per diem counsel is covering, send the package early enough to be read, not skimmed in the hallway.
ADR Coverage in Riverhead
Riverhead is a long day from anywhere west of it. The Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson provides per diem coverage for ADR conferences and other appearances at Suffolk County Supreme Court, with a written report delivered by end of business the same day. We have been handling court appearances throughout New York for more than 20 years, and we have covered this part, so the upload requirement and the conference format will not be a surprise on your case.
If your Suffolk date is a motion rather than an ADR conference, see our Suffolk Motion Part guide on when motion appearances are actually required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must be filed before a Suffolk Riverhead ADR conference?
The ADR Part rules require the Bill of Particulars and the police report to be uploaded before the conference. Both should be on file, and verified as on file, ahead of the conference date.
Is the ADR conference just a status appearance?
No. The conference is an evaluative settlement event conducted through the court's ADR program. The appearing attorney should know the liability theory, injuries, specials, and negotiation posture, and should have settlement authority or same-day access to it.
Where does the Suffolk ADR Part sit?
At Suffolk County Supreme Court, 1 Court Street, Riverhead, NY 11901, roughly 75 miles east of Manhattan. The distance is the main reason firms outside Suffolk County retain per diem counsel for these conferences.
Can per diem counsel cover a Riverhead ADR conference?
Yes, and it is common. The covering attorney needs the case package ahead of time: the Bill of Particulars, the police report, a medicals and specials summary, and clarity on settlement authority. The Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson covers ADR conferences in Riverhead and delivers a written report by end of business. Call 212-233-0666 or text 917-686-3827.
The Bottom Line
The Riverhead ADR Part rewards preparation and exposes its absence. Upload the Bill of Particulars and the police report as soon as the conference is scheduled, send someone who can talk numbers, and the conference becomes what it is designed to be: a real chance to move the case.
Phone: 212-233-0666 | Text/Emergency: 917-686-3827 | Email: fabramson@abramsonlegal.com
When your case is on the line, send someone who knows the courtroom.
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.
See our complete Suffolk County Supreme Court Guide, the Suffolk Motion Part Guide, or the Suffolk County judge directory.
Revision Notes
- July 2026: Initial publication. Upload requirement confirmed from our own covered ADR conference in this part; program description to be verified against current court materials before publication.