ACADEMIC QUERY

A pretrial conference is a meeting of the parties to a case conducted prior to trial. The conference is held before the trial judge or a magistrate, a judicial officer who possesses fewer judicial powers than a judge. A pretrial conference may be held prior to trial in both civil and criminal cases.These include pre-arrest investigation, conviction, detention, court decision, initial appearance before a municipal judge, preliminary or grand jury hearing, evidence or indictment arraignment, and motions for pre-trial proceedings. the prosecutor and the defence team appears before a criminal court judge and makes pre-trial motions, arguments about some evidence to be kept out of the trial, that some persons must or cannot testify, or that the case should be dismissed entirely. Hope this helps Regards

As per your query let me inform you a pretrial conference is a meeting held before trial to outline the issues of a case and set timeframes for legal and procedural matters. At the pretrial conference, your lawyer will argue pretrial motions, such as motions to suppress or exclude evidence from trial and motions to dismiss the case for insufficient evidence.
In such a case an attorney can also discuss a plea bargain with the District Attorney. A plea bargain may result in you pleading guilty to a lesser charge in order to obtain a lighter sentence or reducing a charge from a serious offense to a simple felony, or wobbler offense.

Essentially, a Pretrial conferences are governed by rules of state and local courts, which vary by jurisdiction.

While on the other hand, if in a case no disposition is reached on your case, it will be set for trial. The typical stages of a trial include selecting a jury, presenting evidence, cross-examining witnesses, and making closing statements. After all of this, the court will deliberate and return a verdict.

There's difference between both trial and pretrial conference. A pretrial conference is a Court-mandated settlement meeting that takes place in litigated divorces. A trial is when the two parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting before a court with the authority to adjudicate (or decide) their claims or disputes.


Hope It Helps!

Regards,
Kevin M. Paul

Thank You Ananya Ma'am and Kevin Sir for your detailed replies.