RULE N1303. HEARING. CONTINUANCES.
1. Hearings before the arbitrators shall be held in the Government Center, Easton, Pennsylvania, and shall convene at 9:30 o'clock a.m. or l:30 o'clock p.m. The notice of appointment of arbitrators shall fix the date and time of hearing which shall be not less than thirty (30) days after the date of notice.
2. Any application for continuance of a scheduled hearing shall be made to the Court Administrator at least seven (7) days prior to the time assigned for the meeting of the panel. If the continuance is granted, the Court Administrator shall set a date certain for the hearing to be held within sixty (60) days.
3. If an application for a continuance is not made prior to seven (7) days before the hearing, then a continuance shall only be granted by the Court Administrator after the attorney has received written permission for a continuance by the Court. The Court shall grant the continuance only for good cause which was not apparent seven (7) days prior to the date set for hearing. For purposes of this paragraph, agreement of counsel shall not be good cause.
4. Whenever a scheduled hearing is to be continued or canceled, notice of the fact shall be given the Court Administrator, the arbitrators, the attorneys of record, and all parties not represented by an attorney. Said notice shall be given by the attorney who has requested the continuance or cancellation of the hearing and shall be by telephone, followed by a confirming letter. The attorney requesting the continuance shall receive a new date for the rescheduled hearing from the Court Administrator and shall include this new date, time and place in his letter to all parties involved. Disregard of this rule may serve as the basis for appropriate disciplinary action, including the payment of arbitrators' fees.
5. If for any reason a hearing cannot be completed on the date scheduled for the arbitration, the chairman of the board of arbitrators shall schedule with the Court Administrator an additional hearing within twenty (20) days from the date of the last hearing. If agreement of the parties cannot be reached with respect to such an additional hearing, the Court Administrator shall reschedule the same.