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S.D.N.Y. · Judge Torres · Practice Guide

Hon. Analisa Torres

Verified 2026-06-25verify at the court's site ↗

All local rules for S.D.N.Y., integrated with this judge's published requirements.

Before You File
Ex parte applications
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule

Affidavit with good and specific reasons required; state if prior application made. Local Civil Rule 6.1(d) ↗

Contacting chambers
👤 Judge Torres — standing order

I.A. Contact with Chambers. Communications with the Court shall occur by letter, except as otherwise provided below. Telephone calls to chambers are permitted only in emergencies requiring immediate attention. Prior to calling chambers with questions about the Court's rules and practices, parties should review the Court's Individual Practices. The chambers phone number is (212) 805-0292. Faxes to chambers are permitted only with prior authorization. Faxed submissions shall identify the individual in chambers who authorized the fax. Copies shall be simultaneously faxed, emailed, or hand-delivered to all counsel.

Drafting the Motion
Length limits — motion, opposition, reply
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule
Motion

Memoranda of law in support of or in opposition to a motion limited to 25 pages; reply memoranda limited to 10 pages S.D.N.Y. L.R. 7.1(b) ↗

Opposition

8,750 words maximum for opposition brief. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗

Reply

3,500 words maximum for reply brief. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗

Filing & Scheduling
Briefing schedule & hearing date
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule
Notice period

Opposition due 14 days after service; reply due 7 days after opposition. Local Civil Rule 6.1(b) ↗

Hearing days

Silent on fixed motion hearing days. The joint local rules establish no motion-day calendar. LCR 7.1 governs motion practice (content, formatting, and briefing deadlines) but sets no court hearing dates; any hearing is scheduled at each judge's discretion per their individual practices. Local Civil Rule 7.1 ↗

Proposed orders
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule

Proposed orders, judgments, and decrees must be presented as directed by the ECF rules published on the website of each respective court. Local Civil Rule 77.1 ↗

Filing under seal
👤 Judge Torres — standing order

IV.A. Electronic Filing Under Seal in Civil and Miscellaneous Cases. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court's ECF system in conformity with the court's standing order, 19 Misc. 583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6. The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.

The Hearing
Oral argument
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule

Motions are decided on submission unless the court schedules oral argument; contact chambers to request oral argument S.D.N.Y. L.R. 7.1(b) ↗

Discovery
Discovery referral procedure
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule

Must first request informal conference by letter before filing discovery motion. Local Civil Rule 37.2 ↗

Discovery dispute procedure
👤 Judge Torres — standing order

II.D. Discovery Disputes. All parties shall follow Local Civil Rule 37.2 with the following modifications: A party wishing to raise a discovery dispute with the Court shall first confer in good faith with the opposing party, in person or by telephone, in an effort to resolve the dispute. If this meet-and-confer process does not succeed, the parties shall describe the dispute in a single joint letter to the Court, normally not exceeding six pages. The joint letter shall include a representation that the meet-and-confer process occurred, identifying the time, place, and duration and naming the counsel involved in the discussion.

Know Before You Go
👤 Judge Torres — deviations that burn people
  • 1. Pre-motion letters are required before virtually ANY motion -- the exceptions list is long but narrow. Filing a motion without a pre-motion letter first is a procedural violation that will likely result in the motion being struck or returnable. (SS III(A))
  • 2. Motions to dismiss trigger a mandatory TWO-round pre-motion exchange. The first round (defendant deficiency letter -> plaintiff response within 5 business days) is NOT filed with the Court. Only after that exchange does the second round of pre-motion letters go to the Court. Missing the first exchange, or filing the second-round letter before the first exchange is complete, violates SS III(B).
  • 3. Discovery disputes require a JOINT LETTER from both parties (normally not exceeding 6 pages), not separate moving and opposition letters. Submitting a unilateral discovery letter-motion is procedurally incorrect under SS II(D). The joint letter must identify the time, place, duration, and counsel involved in the meet-and-confer.
  • 4. Summary judgment practice is ordinarily unavailable in a non-jury case absent good cause under SS III(C)(i). Filing a summary judgment motion in a bench trial without first obtaining leave from the Court is improper.
  • 5. Principal trial counsel -- not just any attorney -- must appear at all conferences. Sending a different attorney to a conference without Court approval violates SS II(A).
  • 6. The AI rule (SS VII) names specific tools (ChatGPT, Harvey, CoCounsel, Google Bard) and explicitly ties non-compliance to Rule 11 sanctions. Failure to confirm accuracy of AI-generated source material is explicitly sanctionable.
  • 7. No papers of any kind -- including courtesy hard copies -- may be submitted to chambers. Everything goes on ECF or, where permitted, by email. (SS I(B))
content assembled from published local rules & standing orders · click any section in the rail for the full treatment