Get Issue Conference - Contra Costa Superior Court

A status conference in a criminal case is a meeting between the prosecuting attorney and defense attorney to discuss the status of the case, facilitate the exchange of information, and negotiate regarding a possible resolution.

Status Conference or Further Proceedings Hearing: A court hearing set to inform the Judge if the matter will be proceeding to trial or if an agreement has been reached, it could become a plea and sentencing hearing if there is not a victim involved in the case.

A case management conference (CMC) is when both sides, the lawyers (if any), and the judge meet to talk about how to handle the case. Most civil cases have a CMC and it usually happens between 120 and 180 days from filing of the lawsuit.

You will get a trial date when you have a hearing called a “Trial Setting Conference”. The judge wants everyone who will be trying the case to be at the hearing. This means your lawyer, if you have one. If you don't, you have to go. The judge sets a trial date for sometime in the next 90 days.

What Happens at a Trial Setting Conference? The judge will ask questions about the case to ascertain whether it is ready for trial and how long the trial is likely to take. If the case is indeed ready to proceed to trial, the court will set a Mandatory Settlement Conference (or MSC) as well as a trial date.

If a case hasn t been settled, many courts set a time for an issue conference. The lawyers usually appear at this hearing before a judge without their clients and try to agree on undisputed facts or points of law. Such agreements are called stipulations .

The Contra Costa County Superior Court, officially known as the Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa, is the branch of the California Superior Court with jurisdiction over Contra Costa County. It has four courthouses: Martinez, Pittsburg, Richmond and Walnut Creek.

A court conference is a conversation where the parties or their attorneys have a chance to discuss the case and specifically address the prospects of settlement with the judge, the judge's law clerk, or the court attorney. In some states this conversation is off-the-record.