Mini-Trial (ADR)
A private, abbreviated presentation of each side's best case to senior business executives, often with a neutral advisor, designed to trigger a business-driven settlement decision.
A mini-trial is a private ADR process, not a court proceeding at all, where each side's counsel presents a condensed version of its case to senior decision-makers from both companies, often with a neutral third party present to advise or facilitate.
After the presentations, the executives, who typically have settlement authority but were not previously deeply involved in the litigation, negotiate directly, informed by what they just saw, often with the neutral available to offer a candid assessment if requested.
Juricratic models the mini-trial as a decision-authority-shifting event: unlike ordinary settlement dials driven by counsel's assessment, the mini-trial node routes the settlement decision to a distinct business-risk-tolerance dial reflecting executive rather than litigator judgment.
How it actually shows up
Companies use mini-trials in high-value commercial disputes between ongoing business partners, where the goal is to get senior decision-makers who control the checkbook directly engaged with the case's real strengths and weaknesses rather than relying solely on litigation counsel's summary.
- Is a mini-trial conducted before a judge?
- No. It is a private process arranged by the parties, with no court involvement unless the parties choose to use a court-connected neutral.
- Who has authority to settle at a mini-trial?
- Senior business executives from each side, which is the entire point, to bring real settlement authority into the room alongside the case presentation.
- How is a mini-trial different from a summary jury trial?
- A mini-trial presents to business executives who then negotiate directly. A summary jury trial presents to a jury that returns an advisory verdict.
This page is an educational explainer, not legal advice, and creates no attorney–client relationship. Juricratic is a simulation engine: every probability-like figure is a dial you set, not a calibrated prediction. Verify every rule, deadline, and figure against the authorities and orders that govern your matter.
Turn the concept into a modeled matter.
Juricratic makes every one of these ideas a live dial: model your case as a solvable game, then watch the optimal line and the settlement window move as the assumptions do.
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