A pretrial conference—also known as a pretrial hearing or scheduling conference—is an informal meeting or discussion in the early stages of a lawsuit during which the attorneys and the judge work to schedule important deadlines in the lawsuit; identify important witnesses and documents; discuss settlement; and narrow the issues for trial.

The court will usually sign a pretrial order that includes its rulings and the parties' agreements on the matters discussed at the pretrial conference.

The pretrial conference is essentially a project management plan for the litigation. The timing of the pretrial conference and the issues to be addressed are usually included in the state's rules of civil procedure or code of civil procedure—or in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in federal court.

In North Carolina, a pretrial conference is a procedural step in the civil litigation process where the parties, through their attorneys, and the judge meet to discuss the case and set a timeline for the proceedings. This conference aims to streamline the issues, identify key witnesses and documents, explore settlement possibilities, and establish a schedule for motions, discovery, and other pretrial activities. The outcomes of the pretrial conference are typically documented in a pretrial order, which reflects the court's directives and any agreements made by the parties. The specifics of when a pretrial conference occurs and what it entails are governed by the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. These rules provide a framework for the orderly progression of a lawsuit and ensure that both parties have a clear understanding of the court's expectations and the litigation timeline. In federal cases, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure would apply, setting similar standards for pretrial conferences at the federal level.