Law360, New York ( March 18, 2013, 12:24 PM EDT) -- Do not be lulled into a false sense of complacency by the formality, civility and, in some cases, old-fashioned Southern charm, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA). Cases usually move with lightning speed, handled by efficient, polite, but no-nonsense jurists and courtroom deputies. The average time from filing a civil case to trial is approximately 11 months, with 2012 constituting the fastest trial docket in the country for the fifth straight year! Trial dates are usually hard and fast, and continuances are difficult to obtain. And this court's divisions (Alexandria, Richmond and Norfolk/Newport News) try a disproportionate number of cases. Nowhere is the old adage "trial dates settle cases" more apt. If the case doesn't settle, it will go to trial. Welcome to the "Rocket Docket."...