What Happens at a Court Status Conference

In some cases where no agreement is reached, you can leave the courthouse without ever appearing before the judge. Sometimes you just wait for your lawyer to have a discussion with the prosecutor and then you have a private conversation with your lawyer. After that, your lawyer may tell you that you can leave the courthouse and give you instructions on how to proceed in the case. It can be frustrating to stay in the hallway of a courthouse while your lawyer enters a conference room or judicial chambers to discuss your case without you. However, it is for your protection that your lawyer does not ask you to be present at this meeting. If you make statements to police, prosecutors or judges, these things can have a negative impact on you later in a trial or conviction. Your lawyer`s statements at plea hearings cannot be used against you in the same way. A status conference is not a process. This is not a time when witnesses are presented by you or by the prosecutor. You do not have to testify and you do not have to present evidence to the court. There is usually a lot of time between the status conference and trial, so you don`t have to worry that your case isn`t yet ready to be heard by a jury. The status conference is part of the process of preparing for a trial when it finally becomes necessary to resolve your case.

If a party does not participate in the status conference, that party`s requests to change the date will be ignored. If the claimant and/or a representative of the claimant does not attend the status conference, the action may be dismissed. [ref. A pre-trial hearing is one of many steps required when criminal proceedings are brought before the courts. In Arizona, the status conference is an opportunity for your defense attorney and attorney to resolve the case. If a case has not been resolved, many courts set a date for a thematic conference. Lawyers usually appear before a judge at this hearing without their clients and try to agree on undisputed facts or legal issues. These agreements are called provisions. The thematic conference can shorten the actual time of the process by setting points that do not need to be proven during the trial.

If an agreement cannot be reached through pre-litigation conferences, the judge sets a date for the hearing. Your lawyer may need your help gathering information before the status conference and would like you to provide documents that could help negotiate a favorable solution. If possible, you must provide all requested documents prior to the status conference. Some cases are resolved at the status conference. Some are not. The resolution of your case depends on a number of factors. It is likely that advocacy will be made at the status conference. You make the final decision as to whether this offer of advocacy is acceptable to you. If you decide that the plea presented is acceptable to you, a plea can be filed in most courts on the day of the status conference. Sometimes, in cases of administrative offences, the conviction may also be handed down on that day. However, in most misdemeanor cases, sentencing is scheduled 4 to 6 weeks after the date of the plea. In criminal offences, conviction cannot be handed down on the day of the status conference, and if a plea is filed on that day, sentencing is expected approximately 4 to 8 weeks later.

While it is not uncommon for status conferences to end without anyone entering the courtroom, you may appear before the judge if you decide to plead guilty or if part of the discussion between your lawyer and the prosecutor needs to be recorded. You must dress for the court, provided you can appear before the judge. For men, you should wear a suit and tie, or at least pants, a shirt with a collar and tie. For women, pants, skirt or dress are appropriate. You should not wear jeans, low-cut shirts, short skirts, shorts or flip-flops. A court conference is a conversation in which the parties or their lawyers have the opportunity to discuss the case and specifically discuss the prospects of reaching an agreement with the judge, clerk or court counsel. In some states, this conversation is informal. If no agreement is reached at the status conference, the court sets a date for a preliminary hearing. In other words, your case goes through the justice system to a trial. In some jurisdictions, certain types of disputes, such as custody disagreements, must be referred to a third party who is trying to facilitate resolution. If the court has jurisdiction for such out-of-court dispute resolution (e.g. arbitration or mediation), the judge may refer the case to this programme at that hearing.

In arbitration, the dispute is submitted to a neutral third party, who makes a decision after hearing the arguments and reviewing the evidence. This is usually faster and cheaper than a full-fledged study. As part of mediation, a neutral external mediator helps the parties resolve their differences in negotiations. The mediator uses various techniques to help them reach an agreement, but is not allowed to decide the case. Arbitration and mediation are usually private, so they have the added benefit of helping parties avoid publicity. In most cases, a status conference is held towards the end of the case. In cases involving administrative offences, the status conference is often the last hearing before trial. In criminal and minor cases, some courts hold several status conferences (sometimes referred to as conciliation conferences, pre-trial conferences, final pre-trial conferences) so that the parties can remain informed of the status of the case and continue negotiations while gathering additional information. Often, courts hold a final status conference just before the trial date to resolve the case without trial. Depending on the type of case you are involved in, the judge may schedule a conference or appearance after the first (first) hearing.

Status appearances that occur between a first appearance and a hearing or trial are an opportunity for the parties and the judge: in at least 28 states, court-affiliated arbitration or mediation is automatic for many cases, such as cases below a certain amount. Even if these cases must first go to arbitration or mediation, the losing party can sometimes appeal through arbitration or mediation, sending the case back to the court system. During the status conference, your lawyer will sit down with the prosecutor responsible for pursuing your case. You can talk about information that the prosecutor has not yet provided to you and your lawyer, such as: Discuss police reports, dashcam or body camera videos, witness interview videos, electronic evidence or lab reports, and when and how to provide this evidence. Judges also use pre-trial conferences to encourage the resolution of cases. At the conference, the judge and lawyers can review the evidence and clarify contentious issues. In criminal cases, the accused must be present at the courthouse at the status conference. However, it is customary for the accused not to be present in the room during the meeting between the prosecutor and the defence lawyer. In most cases, only the prosecutor and defence counsel participate in the status conference. Sometimes, however, the judge may also be present.

A status conference is a court-ordered meeting with a judge (or, in some circumstances, a licensed defense attorney) where they decide on the trial date or receive updated information about an accused for ongoing conditions previously established by the courts, such as house arrest or house surveillance.