The Clallam County Family Court settlement conferences have increased from 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours. They are still offered on Mondays and Thursdays.
On Monday, there are two settlement conference start times available, 9:15 and 1:45. (Previously there were four start times to accommodate four cases.)
On Thursdays, there is one settlement conference start time which is 9:15. (There were previously two start times to accommodate two cases.
ClallamCountyBar.com supports the increased time, 1.5 hours was too short, and recommends everyone heading into a settlement conference to be well prepared.
What is a settlement conference?
These are basically a mediation, usually handled by the Family Court Commissioner, but sometimes by a Clallam County Superior Court Judge or a pro tem judge (part time). The Commissioner or Judge is not allowed to tell anyone how to settle their case, and cannot force anyone to settle. Everyone participating has the right to walk away.
The Commissioner/Judge’s job is to try to facilitate both parties to come to an agreement. They cannot give legal advice, but they can offer limited legal information and if requested can offer an opinion about how the case might handled if an agreement is not reached and the parties need to go to trial.
Under Clallam County Local Rules, each case may have one settlement conference. If you can’t settle in the settlement conference, a second one may be available, but only if both people agree.
If you don’t reach an agreement at the settlement conference, you can have a private mediation if both people agree, or you can negotiate directly with the other person. If you don’t reach an agreement somehow, then your case needs to go to trial to obtain a final order ending the case.
You can bring a lawyer or friend to the settlement conference.
You can hire a private mediator if you want. Private mediation can be for a longer time than 2.5 hours if that’s needed (which is common), and mediators can usually offer a mediation date sooner than the next available settlement conference. Mediation can also take place over several days, and any combination of in-person, phone, or Zoom. Private mediation costs money, and settlement conferences are free.
How do I get a settlement conference in Clallam County?
To get a settlement conference in your case, just file a Notice of Hearing (from the Washington Courts forms page, https://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/), set the hearing date for 8:45 a.m. on any Friday at least 9 days before the Friday you choose. If you provide your email address, the Court Administrator will contact both parties by email to find a date that works. If you don’t have email, the Administrator may call you, or else you will have to go down to the Court Administrators window at the Courthouse (second floor, behind the elevator).
When setting a settlement conference, you may be able to get the next available date, which may be several months out from when you ask for the date.