The object of the Mediated Settlement Conference Program is to promote early settlement of civil cases filed in Superior Court by the creation of settlement opportunities. The settlement opportunities are in the form of mediated settlement conferences. Parties referred to a mediated settlement conference will be required to sit down with their attorneys, a representative of any insurance carrier involved in the litigation, and a mediator to discuss their dispute and to try and resolve it. The mediator will act as a facilitator and try to assist the other participants in resolving the dispute on their own terms. If they are successful, the parties will have eliminated the need for their litigation to drag on and perhaps to result in a costly and emotionally draining trial. In addition to benefiting the parties, mediated settlement helps the courts. When cases settle, taxpayers are spared the cost of protracted litigation and perhaps even trial and judges can focus their attention elsewhere – on civil cases that cannot be settled or on criminal matters. When cases are removed from the system earlier, the courts become more efficient overall with delay reduced and accessibility enhanced.
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