Settlement conference

A settlement or pre-trial conference is a meeting between opposing sides of a lawsuit at which the parties attempt to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of their dispute without having to proceed to a trial. Such a conference may be initiated through either party, usually by the conveyance of a settlement offer; or it may be ordered by the court as a precedent (preliminary step) to holding a trial. Each party, the plaintiff and the defendant, is usually represented at the settlement conference by their own counsel or attorney. Conferences are frequently conducted by a judge or other neutral party, in the form of a mediation.