Settlement Conference on Demand

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

The Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County is the fourth largest trial court in the country. The Court serves all of Maricopa County, which includes the metropolitan Phoenix area, and adjudicates more than 30,000 felony filings each year. The Court has a long history of developing innovative caseflow management techniques to specifically address the early resolution of felony criminal cases. Our objective in creating this project was to increase the use of settlement conferences to resolve more felony criminal cases without going to trial. The new program focused on improving the accessibility to judicial calendars to promote the use of settlement conferences, and the centralization of scheduling services for lawyers and support staff. In July 2011, the Court launched Settlement Conference on Demand, which allows attorneys to call a central location in Criminal Court Administration to schedule a settlement conference with an available judicial officer. Judicial division staff has provided Criminal Court Administration with positive feedback on the reduction in the number of phone calls they receive requesting settlement conferences. Additionally, private counsel and indigent defense are appreciative of the centralized point of contact.