Your lawyer may be present and you may be subjected to grilling over lots of minute details. Motion Hearings - Defense lawyers seem to have endless capacities for filing motions and going to hearings on motions. Some of these motions are unimportant to you and some may be critical to your case. Mediation - Many courts are forcing cases to be mediated or arbitrated prior to trial. Some will not give you a trial date until you do one of these.
Mediation is typically a settlement conference without the formalities of court.
A neutral party will try to help the parties reach middle ground. It is usually not binding unless the parties reach an agreement and write up a settlement agreement. Arbitration is a different breed. It often is a binding mini-trial of the case in front of a panel of judges who listen to an informal presentation of the matters involved in the case. Trial - If your case does not settle it must be concluded some how.