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mandatory settlement Conference

This page tells you about:

  1. When and how?
  2. Serve and file your statement
  3. What to expect
  1. When and how?

    When you get a trial date, you’ll get a date for your Mandatory Settlement Conference.

    In general, if your trial is on Monday, you’ll have your Mandatory Settlement Conference on the Wednesday before the trial. Short trials under a half day do not have Mandatory Settlement Conferences.

    You’ll probably have your hearing in the Court building.

    A temporary judge will hear your Settlement Conference. Temporary judges (called "Pro Tems", short for pro tempore) are lawyers with a lot of experience. They volunteer to be the judges for your Settlement Conference.

    A temporary judge:

    • Meets with the people in the case, or their lawyers,
    • Hears the facts of the case, and
    • Tries to find a solution that everyone accepts.

    Settlement conferences work when a lawyer with experience helps the parties find a solution.

  2. Serve and file your statement

    Everyone in the case has to file a written statement. It should say how your settlement talks are going. File it at least 5 court days before your Mandatory Settlement Conference. You have to have it served on everyone else in the case.

  3. What to expect

    Your Mandatory Settlement Conference is a time to try to settle your case. Be ready to talk seriously about how to solve your case.

More information for the Plaintiff and Defendant:

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