Judge-Hosted Settlement Conferences Law and Legal Definition
Judge-hosted settlement conference means a settlement conference convened to settle a dispute in the presence of a judge or magistrate judge. This is the most common form of ADR adopted in federal and state courts. In a judge-hosted settlement conference, the settlement judge pronounces judgment about the merits of the case and they also arrange offers for settlement. Sometimes mediation techniques are used by the settlement judges and magistrate judges in the settlement conference to improve communication among the parties, probe barriers to settlement, and for assistance in formulating resolutions. It is also known as a judicially hosted settlement conference.
Most of the federal district courts use judicial settlement conferences routinely, and most of these conferences are headed by magistrate judges.
