Settlement and Alternative Dispute Resolution
ADR
In early neutral evaluation the parties make abbreviated presentations to an experienced neutral who provides a frank assessment of liability, damages, and likely outcome. It is non-binding and confidential.
Some districts include it in mandatory ADR programs.
Alternative Names:
ENE, Neutral Evaluation
Why it Matters?
The value is timing, since an assessment delivered before discovery costs accumulate can redirect a case that both sides have misjudged. It differs from mediation because the neutral evaluates rather than facilitating, which can move a party that discounts its own counsel's assessment. Preparation quality determines the assessment's usefulness, since a superficial presentation produces an evaluation neither side credits.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
How does evaluation differ from mediation?
What determines its usefulness?
