Standardized Trial Procedures

The length of recent asbestos trials at which conference participants presided ranged from five days to five weeks. In the court with the shorter trials, application of some standard as well as some innovative case management procedures appears to account for much of the difference. Use of these procedures seems to en­hance the ability of a court to schedule and conduct trials of asbes­tos cases; it also augments the credibility of trial dates that the court sets.