Mandatory Settlement Conference

This page tells you about:

• When and how?
• Serve and file your statement
• What to expect

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.

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.

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.