As reported in the April edition of the Resolution System Institute’s Court ADR Connection e-newsletter (a great e-newsletter devoted to information on Court ADR) 

A report recently released by the American College of Trial Lawyers Task Force on Discovery includes a recommendation that courts should “raise thepossibility” of pre-trial mediation and other ADR processes, and in some cases should order its use. The report, conducted in association with the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, was based on a survey of ACTL members to identify perceived problems with the discovery process in the civil justice system. In that survey, 82% of respondents said court-related ADR was a “positive development,” and 72% said it led to settlements without trial. The majority of respondents also said ADR decreased their clients’ costs and led to a shorter time to disposition. These results led to the task force’s recommendation. However, the task force also noted that it hoped its other recommendations for decreasing the cost of discovery would help to increase the use of judicial trials, as opposed to ADR.

For the full report, click here: http://www.actl.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=4008