ADR Systems is helping parties settle their disputes quickly through our Pretrial Program. Attorneys can schedule a two-hour virtual or in-person session with a select group of experienced neutrals to help them settle matters in suit – or pre-suit – at a significantly reduced rate. Parties may agree to turn the session into a binding process with high-low parameters, and no minimum number of cases is required to participate in this program.

Created in 2020 when the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County mandated pretrial conferences and mediation by agreement due to pandemic-related court closures and civil jury trial delays, the Pretrial Program offers qualified cases a pathway to resolution without wait times or scheduling challenges.

“How can attorneys expediently engage in pretrial conferences that help them settle so many disputes before trial?” This program is an answer to that question,” said Marc Becker, president of ADR Systems.

Many of the senior mediators and arbitrators at ADR Systems cultivated sought-after reputations for helping parties resolve disputes in pretrial settlement conferences while on the bench—especially those who most recently joined our panel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hon. Christopher E. Lawler, (Ret.), Hon. Margaret A. Brennan, (Ret.), Hon. Jack Callahan, (Ret.), Hon. Robert G. Kleeman, (Ret.) and Hon. Edward S. Harmening, (Ret.)  worked tirelessly—and even on the weekends—to help litigants settle various personal injury and commercial disputes at pretrial, relieving them of the uncertainty caused by trial delays and worsened court backlog. Before joining ADR Systems, Hon. Michael J. Powers, (Ret.) served exclusively as a pretrial settlement conference judge – a unique position among Illinois state court judges – for the last five-and-a-half years of his tenure on the bench.

“Programs like this make access to dispute resolution services—offered by some of the best mediators in the country—more immediately attainable,” said Becker. “Litigation costs mount as time drags on. We’re eager to be a part of the solution, offering a way forward that is meaningful, economical and efficient.”

ADR Systems, It’s Settled.®