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History of Settlement Weeks In 1987, a Texas attorney and judge organized the first Settlement Week and it was a resounding success! The good news traveled quickly and in 1989 the Texas Settlement Week Act was passed requiring counties with a population of 150,000 or greater to conduct two Settlement Weeks each year. Settlement Weeks/Days are now an accepted and expected part of resolving conflict in Texas.
What are Settlement Weeks/Days? Settlement Weeks/Days are time slots designated to resolve litigated cases through mediation. Volunteer mediators sit down with parties in one-hour mediation sessions and aim to reach a binding settlement agreement. By mediating multiple cases in a day or week, courts can reduce their dockets, and parties in litigation save time and money. Mediation does not require an attorney and it is affordable, confidential and convenient.
Case Criteria To ensure the most successful Settlement Week/Day possible, we request that cases submitted fit the following guidelines: Level-one or two discovery cases, cases with a monetary amount of $30,000 or less, and cases that involve individual citizens who require affordable conflict resolution assistance.
Fee for Service DMS is a non-profit agency committed to providing affordable conflict resolution assistance. There is a nominal fee of $100.00 per party, per case, to participate.
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