Mediation and settlement conferences are two forms of resolving legal problems instead of going to court. The purpose is to arrive at a mutually agreeable resolution of the dispute, whether before or after filing a lawsuit or family law litigation.
Locally, the District Court requires litigants to participate in a settlement conference before going to trial, with the goal of helping the parties achieve a resolution in which they have participated and is a mutually satisfactory result. When a party appeals to the Montana Supreme Court from the District Court, the Supreme Court mandates appellate mediation before it will consider the merits of the appeal. Again, the goal of appellate mediation is to aid the parties in reaching a resolution of the case before additional time and resources are expended.