The pre-trial conference is scheduled after the formal arraignment and is conducted by the Judge to whom the case been assigned. At the conference, the Judge is available to discuss pretrial issues with your counsel and the attorney for the Commonwealth. The conference is usually held in open court.

Pretrial conferences in York County are generally conducted by the four judges assigned to handle the criminal caseload - Judge Blackwell, Judge Brillhart, Judge Chronister, and Judge Kennedy.

Pretrial conferences are scheduled once a month. They are held on Tuesdays or Thursdays typically a week before the trial term is set to begin. Your arraignment paperwork will come back with a notice on it stating the date and time and judge for your pretrial conference. When you get this notice, let your attorney know immediately. Scheduling for pretrial  conferences can be a nightmare, and if you miss your pretrail conference, a bench warrant will be issued for you.

You will be scheduled along with about 50 other people to have a pretrial conference either in an afternoon or morning session in front of the judge assigned to your case. Each judge generally has a specific team of prosecutors assigned to his or her courtroom, although for felony drug cases and sex cases, you will be dealing either with Bill Graff (felony drug cases) or the STOP team (sex cases). Be prepared to stay until all the cases are dealt with. This can run three hours or more, depending on when your case gets called.

You may or may not receive an offer from the Commonwealth on your case before pretrial conference. You will usually receive one at pretrial conference. Most cases that make it this far are resolved at pretrial conference. If you want to enter a plea, you need to have a written guilty plea colloquy form filled out. If your plea is to a DUI, you need to have had your CRN evaluation completed. You should be prepared, in the case of a DUI, to hand in your license. Many people are sentenced at the pretrial conference, especially if there is an agreement between a defendant and the Commonwealth as to sentence.

If you do not enter a plea at this stage, your case will be listed for trial. 

You will be checked for warrants when you come into the court room. The Sheriff's deputies run everybody's name through the warrant system, so if you have any unpaid parking tickets, traffic tickets, or other issues for which you may have an outstanding warrant, they may arrest you.

You cannot bring your cell phone into the courthouse. Leave it at home or in your car or in your attorney's office. 

You should appear in court as though you are going to church or a business meeting. Look respectable. If you are incarcerated, you will be held in a holding cell adjacent to the courtroom until your case is called. You will not be allowed to have contact with any people who are spectators in the courtroom, including family or friends.

Pretrial conference is a stage of criminal proceedings where representation by an attorney is critical. You need to know if your offer is reasonable under your facts and circumstances. If you have a pending pretrial conference, you should call attorney Joseph N. Gothie at (717) 848-8455 to set up a free, no-risk consultation to discuss your case.

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