LASC: MANDATORY SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE PROGRAM FOR PERSONAL INJURY AND EMPLOYMENT CASES EXPANDS TO ALL INDEPENDENT CALENDAR COURTS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

The Court has expanded the Personal Injury (PI) Mandatory Settlement Conference (MSC) Program and the Employment MSC Program, offered in partnership with Resolve Law Los Angeles (RLLA), to all Independent Calendar (IC) courts throughout the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. RLLA leverages the expertise of volunteer lawyers, representing numerous Los Angeles County-area bar associations, to serve as settlement officers in resolving pending PI and employment cases outside of court which are overseen by a judge. Initially launched in 2021 for PI and employment cases in the Court’s Central District, this expansion to all IC courts in all districts for those case types reflects the Court’s commitment to working with bar partners to implement innovative, affordable and accessible solutions to encourage the timely resolution of all cases.

The MSCs offered through RLLA are conducted virtually. The three-hour MSCs supplement the existing alternative dispute resolution processes, with a focus on cases in which the Court determines, after discussions with the parties, that a successful MSC can be held within six to nine months of filing and before extensive discovery has occurred. The MSCs are staffed by members of the partner bar associations who are eligible to volunteer as settlement officers, with two settlement officers working with the plaintiff and the defense to resolve the case with oversight by judges, if necessary.

RLLA is a joint effort of the Court and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, Beverly Hills Bar Association, California Employment Lawyers Association, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Additional information and registration for parties ordered into the program are available online at resolvelawla.com.

You can view the full notice here.