Settlement Week

Settlement Week provides timely and cost-effective justice. During Settlement Week, parties and counsel in selected lawsuits meet at the local courthouse for two hour private settlement conferences conducted by a volunteer mediator. The volunteers are a member of the local bar association who also have mediation training. Settlement Week not only saves parties time and money, it helps alleviate heavy court dockets, and gives the local bar association a successful vehicle for community involvement.

Several factors are involved in producing a successful Settlement Week. First is an active judiciary that employs their natural leadership role in the legal community in visibly being knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Settlement Week. Next, lawyers need to be encouraged, not only to review their case files and identify cases that are amenable to mediated settlement conferences, but also to volunteer to be trained and serve as Settlement Week mediators. Finally, there must be tight organization between the judges and the attorneys.

The Settlement Week Pilot Project took place September 13-17, 2004, in Campbell County. This site was chosen because it met several of the criteria for a successful program. The judges there were receptive to the mediation process. Both Campbell County Circuit Judge Leonard Kopowski and former Chief Regional Circuit Judge William Wehr (now a retired senior judge) completed general civil mediation training and are proponents of alternative dispute resolution. In addition, the Northern Kentucky Bar Association was intrigued when approached with the idea and lent its support to the project. Many members of the bar association are experienced mediators and volunteered to mediate. Campbell County also has a large caseload, which ensured there would be a substantial number of cases suitable for mediation. Finally, the Campbell County Justice Center offered enough meeting space to make the project logistically possible. Twenty-one of twenty-seven cases settled during Campbell County's Settlement Week.

Settlement Week can be adapted to any jurisdiction that meets the above criteria. Forms, procedures, and training materials are available at AOC. For more information please call 502-573-2350, Ext. 2164.