In all civil cases courts require the parties to attend a SC (Settlement Conference) before trial, but after completion of expensive discovery. Typically, it’s a “one and done” event, fairly close to the scheduled trial date. Being trial ready ironically comes with a sense of urgency. The Oracle at Delphi parable’s quandary applies: “if you go to war (or trial) a great nation will be destroyed”. Which one? SC is often the best and last way to avoid trial’s time, risk and uncertainty.

As a longtime federal and state court litigator, I have participated in more than 100 of these court ordered, pretrial SC mediations, and taken SC training from Pierce County CD&R in 2013 and 2018, where I’m an active SC mediation volunteer, for cases from both District and Superior courts.

Again, my role is to help the parties as an independent, third-party neutral, not an attorney for either side, who may provide “legal information” (not “advice”) regarding my perspective on the legal issues involved. (See “What is an Independent, Third Party Neutral?”)

Mediated Divorce