In light of the holding in Jepson, Inc. v. Makita Elec. This court will not require the inclusion of an express finding of good cause in such orders. Instead it will review such orders with care and in detail before signing them. Letters From Counsel Counsel shall not write letters to this Court, nor send any correspondence between the parties to this Court, in connection with a pending action unless the letter or correspondence is sent for purposes of settlement, see Standing Order on Setting Settlement Conferences, or the letter is sent to apprise this Court of any materials being delivered to chambers, see Section II, supra. Therefore, settlement preparation should be treated as seriously as trial preparation.
Planning is essential because the party who is best prepared obtains the best result.
The Court has found that the following points are essential to a successful settlement conference. A. Format 1. Presettlement Conference Demand and Offer. Settlement conferences are generally unproductive unless the parties have exchanged demands and offers before the conference and have made some attempt to settle the case on their own. Oftentimes, this process will lead directly to a settlement.