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 Nevada, a pretrial conference is a procedural step in the civil litigation process where the parties, through their attorneys, meet with a judge to discuss the case and plan for the trial. This conference aims to streamline the issues, schedule deadlines for various stages of the case, identify witnesses and key documents, explore settlement possibilities, and generally manage the case efficiently. The outcomes of the pretrial conference are typically documented in a pretrial order, which reflects the judge's rulings and any agreements made by the parties. The specifics of when a pretrial conference should occur and what should be addressed are governed by the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure. These rules are designed to ensure that the litigation process is conducted in a fair and timely manner, and they provide a framework for the orderly progression of a lawsuit towards trial or settlement.