Honorable Jerry A. Esrig, Circuit Judge

Settlement Conferences

Parties wishing to schedule a settlement conference before Judge Esrig may jointly contact his case coordinator Marianne Meister at Marianne.Meister@cookcountyil.gov to obtain a date.

Before doing so, the plaintiff(s) must have made a demand and the defendant(s) must have made an offer in response, and, as a result, the parties must believe that a settlement conference would be fruitful.

The conferences are usually scheduled at 1:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, (the court’s schedule permitting) and may be conducted either in person or by Zoom. The parties should disclose and agree on who will attend the conference. Persons with authority must attend.

Judge Esrig requires that each party (or the parties jointly) submit a short memorandum summarizing the case and the history of the parties’ negotiations. The parties may wish to advise the court of perceived impediments to settlement. The memoranda may be exchanged or submitted confidentially at the parties’ option. The memoranda should be emailed to the court at least one week prior to the date scheduled for the settlement conference.