For years, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) has been among the fastest federal courts in the country. Commonly known as the Rocket Docket, the EDVA boasts an average time of 11 months from “file to trial.” Parties have only a short time to complete discovery, and many motions must be briefed and argued with just a few days’ notice. Even objections to discovery must be filed much earlier than the Federal Rules or most other courts require.

The EDVA’s fast docket makes it an attractive venue for sophisticated parties seeking prompt resolution of complex disputes. But its unique procedures can also be a trap for the unprepared. Litigants in the Rocket Docket need a law firm with the experience and geographic coverage necessary to meet the court's challenging demands.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s litigation team has successfully tried or litigated to completion dozens of cases in the Rocket Docket. Our experience ranges from complex patent cases (including one that went all the way to the US Supreme Court and back), to rebuffing a constitutional attack on the funding mechanism for extending Metrorail to Dulles Airport. Hunton Andrews Kurth also has more than 25 attorneys who were judicial clerks in the EDVA or the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which hears appeals from the Rocket Docket. And as a large, international full-service law firm, we can tap the experience and knowledge of more than 900 lawyers worldwide whenever necessary.

Additionally, our trial lawyers participate with EDVA judges and other legal professionals in Rocket Docket instructional programs and have published articles about EDVA practice in Law360.

Hunton Andrews Kurth has offices only minutes away from each of the EDVA’s divisions (Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk and Richmond), allowing us to staff Rocket Docket cases efficiently and effectively. This geographical advantage also helps us provide seamless representation when a case is filed in one division and transferred to another, as often happens in patent cases.

If you or your business seek proven, in-court litigation experience in the EDVA, you can rely on Hunton Andrews Kurth to meet your needs.