The Civil Appeals Management Plan (CAMP) is the Court's program for exploring settlement in all civil appeals except cases in which at least one party appears pro se, petitions for a writ of mandamus or prohibition, habeas corpus cases, and proceedings brought to collaterally challenge a sentence imposed in a federal court under 28 U.S.C. § 2255.

After the appeal is docketed, the clerk refers the case to the CAMP office for the scheduling of a settlement conference.

The conference takes place in the CAMP office or by telephone. Counsel must consult with the client in advance of the conference and obtain as much authority as possible to settle the case. Counsel's appearance at the conference is required, and counsel must be prepared to discuss the legal, factual, and procedural issues in depth. An attorney or client who fails to participate in the conference process in good faith may be sanctioned by the Court.

During the pendency of the CAMP proceedings the parties remain obligated to meet Court deadlines, including the filing of briefs and appendices.

If the parties enter into a stipulation to withdraw the appeal without prejudice to reinstatement, the stipulation must state the terms of reinstatement, including the date by which reinstatement must occur. Dismissal under the stipulation is effective when the stipulation is "so ordered" by the Court. If the case is not reinstated by the date specified in the stipulation, the mandate in the case will issue forthwith and jurisdiction of the case will revert to the district court. LR 42.1.

Information shared during the CAMP proceeding is confidential and is not included in Court files or disclosed to the circuit judges, except to the extent disclosed by an order entered as a result of a CAMP proceeding.

At the conclusion of the CAMP proceeding, counsel for each party must complete an anonymous Post-Conference Survey and submit it to the Court's Director of Legal Affairs. The form is available on the Court's website.

Last modified at 12/17/2010