Pretrial Conference

A court-mandated meeting of all parties and counsel with the trial judge.

A meeting of all parties and counsel with the trial judge, sometimes held in the judge’s chambers.
Most states require these pretrial conferences. Counsel prepare a "pretrial memoranda" for the court, and the judge asks pointed questions. Most cases settle during this conference since the parties hear, for the first time, how a real-life judge would decide the case. A judge’s general impressions and settlement recommendations carry great weight, especially when the pretrial judge will also try the case.
Parties are often surprised by how close they are to settling. Often the only thing keeping them apart is their attorneys’ failure to communicate with their clients and with each other. Some lawyers never really understand their own cases until a judge, with 5-10 minutes of preparation, explains it to them. They are highly focused on a few trees when the forest is on fire.
Lawyers’ lack of communication and their zealous but unrealistic advocacy waste tens of millions of dollars annually.