1. What is the purpose of a settlement conference? 2. What are the two parties called? 3. Are settlement conferences mandatory? In which cases are they not mandatory? 4. Who sets the settlement conference and where does it take place? 5. What can the judge do? 6. Does the judge set a trial date if necessary? 7. If the settlement conference is a success, what happens next? 8. If there is no settlement, what happens next?