What is a Settlement Conference?
This is much like a plea disposition meeting. It is a chance for the attorneys to get together with a judge, and a probation officer for a felony charge, to determine if some type of settlement can be reached without going to a jury trial. By this time, more detailed information about the case has been developed by the attorneys (usually through independent investigation) and a more in-depth, detailed conversation will occur about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the case. In many cases, the judge will give a neutral opinion about the strength or weakness of the case which assists the attorneys in determining the pro’s and con’s about actually going to trial.
• A Settlement Conference is a type of dispute resolution conducted by an Administrative Law Judge other than the presiding Administrative Law Judge, who acts to encourage and facilitate a resolution to the case. There is no cost to the parties involved in a settlement conference. See, North Carolina Administrative Code, Title 26, Rule 03.0107.
