A. Court’s direction. In any action, the court may in its discretion direct the attorneys for the parties and any unrepresented parties to appear before it for a conference or conference before trial for the purposes listed herein.
1. Expediting the disposition of the action.2. Establishing early and continuing control so that the case will not be protracted because of lack of management.3. Discouraging wasteful pre-trial activities.4. Improving the quality of the trial through more thorough preparation.5. Facilitating the settlement of the case, and6. Recommending and encouraging that the parties use some form of alternative dispute resolution and, in appropriate cases, ordering the parties to engage in mediation or a court conducted settlement conference.B. Timing of conference. This conference should ordinarily be conducted following the mandatory disclosure required by Rule 401.
Id. Fam. Law. P. 701
Adopted April 2, 2014, effective for early adoptersJuly 1, 2014, effective statewideJuly 1, 2015.
