You’ve filed a motion. You need to get in front of a judge. But nothing seems to be happening. The court hasn’t set anything. Opposing counsel isn’t responding. You don’t know how to move forward.
This is one of the most common frustrations for pro se litigants — and it’s one that has a solution. Getting a hearing set requires you to take action. The court will not do it for you.
Understanding How Hearings Get Set
In Texas family courts, hearings don’t automatically appear on the calendar when you file a motion. In most counties, it’s the responsibility of the parties — or their attorneys — to contact the court’s coordinator or clerk and request a hearing date.
Every court has its own process. Some courts use an online scheduling system. Some require a phone call to the court coordinator. Some require you to confer with opposing counsel first and submit agreed dates. Knowing your specific court’s procedure is step one.
Step-by-Step: How to Get a Hearing Set
- Check your local rules. Every Texas county has local rules that govern how hearings are scheduled. Many are available on the court’s website. Read them before you do anything else.
- Contact the court coordinator. The court coordinator manages the judge’s calendar. Call or email them and explain that you have a pending motion and need to schedule a hearing. Have your cause number, the name of your case, and a general sense of how long you expect the hearing to take.
- Confer with opposing counsel if required. Many courts require you to attempt to agree on a hearing date with the other side before contacting the coordinator. Send an email first — this creates a paper trail. Give them a reasonable deadline to respond (48–72 hours).
- Submit a Notice of Hearing. Once a date is set, you typically need to file a Notice of Hearing with the court and serve it on the other party. This formally notifies them of the date, time, and location.
- Confirm the hearing. Some courts require you to confirm a few days before. Don’t assume the hearing is still on — verify.
When Opposing Counsel Won’t Cooperate
This happens constantly in high-conflict cases. The other side ignores your emails about scheduling, refuses to agree to dates, or simply goes silent. Here’s how to handle it:
Document your attempts. Send a written request for available dates via email. Give a reasonable deadline. If they don’t respond, send a follow-up. Keep all of these communications.
Contact the court coordinator directly. In most Texas courts, if you’ve made a good-faith attempt to confer and the other side is unresponsive, you can contact the coordinator yourself and note that you attempted to confer but received no response. The court will set the date.
File a motion to compel or a notice of submission. For some motions — particularly those that can be ruled on without a hearing — you can file a Notice of Submission setting the matter for submission on a specific date, giving the other side the required notice and letting the judge rule without an in-person hearing.
Use the delay against them. If the other side is deliberately obstructing the scheduling process, document it. When you get before the judge, you have the right to note that you’ve been trying to set this hearing for weeks and the other side has been uncooperative. Judges notice that.
Emergency Hearings
If your situation involves immediate danger to a child or an emergency that can’t wait for a regular hearing, you may be able to request an emergency hearing or file for a Temporary Restraining Order on an expedited basis. These require you to show a specific, immediate threat — not just urgency or frustration.
Emergency filings get scrutinized carefully. Filing something as an “emergency” when it isn’t one damages your credibility. Use this pathway only when the facts genuinely warrant it.
Know Your Court Before You File Anything
Every county in Texas does this a little differently. Harris County works differently than Bexar County, which works differently than a small rural district court. I help my students understand their specific court’s procedures so they’re not fumbling through the process on the fly.
Call: 830.507.3250 | ben@prosecoachtx.com
— Ben Schooley, Pro Se Coach