This sourcebook is a reference guide on mediation and settlement conference programs in the thirteen federal courts of appeals. The Federal Judicial Center published the first edition of this sourcebook in 1997. The changing structure of these programs, and expressed interest from the courts of appeals, made this update necessary.

Each of the programs encourages or requires counsel for the parties to discuss settlement, including settlement discussions in the form of mediation. The circuit-by-circuit descriptions in the second edition indicate the case types eligible for the program and the procedures followed to schedule and conduct mediation sessions in each of the thirteen courts.