The Orange County Chapter of ACFLS is excited to present this seminar designed to equip attendees with tools to enhance their settlement skills. Focusing on the before, during and after aspects of a settlement conference, this presentation will cover topics such as the differences between an MSC, VSC and Mediation, required disclosures, understanding the goal(s) of the settlement conference, cost considerations, selecting a settlement officer, preparing for the conference including pre-mediation briefing and communications with the neutral, when and why to engage in joint sessions versus no joint sessions, strategies for achieving success during negotiations, whether and how to use experts, the use of judgments versus deal points memorandums, navigating the nuances of CCP section 664.6, and post-session considerations including potential strategies for when a settlement is not achieved. Program attendees will receive relevant legal citations and written materials, useful samples, and two (2) hours of MCLE and/or Legal Specialization credit.