The court's CJRA plan authorizes the judges to order nonbinding minitrials or summary jury trials with or without the parties' consent. Summary jury trials are used more often than minitrials, usually in relatively simple factual disputes or where dollar amounts are contested. Judicial settlement conferences.
All civil cases remain subject to a settlement conference with a judge.
Approximately twenty-five cases were assigned to a settlement conference with a judge between January and September 1994. Of note Obligations of counsel. Attorneys are required to discuss their ADR options with each other and their clients and must be prepared to demonstrate that they have done so. They must also be prepared to address the case's suitability for ADR with the assigned judge at the initial conference. The court will evaluate the court-based mediation program in 1995 to determine whether the program should be continued or expanded.