Under Rule 570 at any time after an information has been filed, the Court may order the District Attorney and the defense attorney to appear before it for a conference in open Court to consider the procedures for pretrial discovery and inspection, the simplification of factual issues, the pre-qualification of exhibits to avoid unnecessary delay and the number of witnesses who are to give testimony. He may also discuss defenses of alibi or insanity and make appropriate rulings. Each party shall have the right to record objections to rulings of the Court during these pretrial conferences.
A pretrial usually takes approximately 15 minutes. Many agreements can be made. A plea deal may be offered and accepted. The Defendant finally gets to meet the Judge who will hear the case. Magic can happen at a formal pretrial and if not, times for motions and arguments will be set along with a date for a final pretrial and trial.
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