The judicial conference committee on rules of practice and procedure (committee) has recently proposed the addition of Rule 16.1 to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP). Proposed Rule 16.1 seeks to address concerns regarding case management in multidistrict litigation proceedings (MDL). The proposal of Rule 16.1 poses the question of whether there are serious problems afflicting MDL procedures. And if so, is proposed Rule 16.1 the solution?