What is federal court-annexed mediation, and how does it work?

Federal court-annexed mediation is mediation that operates as part of a federal court’s own dispute-resolution program. Many federal district courts, including the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, maintain a panel of trained, court-approved mediators and refer civil cases to mediation as part of managing their dockets. When a case is referred, the parties work with a mediator from the court’s panel to attempt a resolution, often relatively early in the litigation, before the largest costs of discovery and trial are incurred. The process is confidential and does not force a settlement, but it gives the parties a structured, court-supported opportunity to resolve the case. A substantial share of referred cases settle through this process, relieving both the parties and the court of a prolonged fight.  In the case of the SDNY program, this is done at no charge to the parties and the Mediator services are pro bono.  There programs are vehicles for a mediator at build skills at the highest level/