Making the most of pre-action meetings with a facilitator

Before heading to court in South Australia, parties are required to meet and try to solve their issues (Uniform Civil Rules, rule 61.12).

Pre-action meetings (in my experience and the broad experience of other lawyers I have spoken to) are too often treated as just the last of a series of mandatory steps before filing a claim. Perhaps the expectation is that genuine negotiations won’t occur until after that claim is filed.

In reality, when parties are ready for a pre-action meeting, they are (or should be) in an excellent position to negotiate a settlement.

A facilitator can help the parties get the most out of a pre-action meeting.