In this study, a program begun in 1979 was evaluated to determine the effect of mediation on settlement, time to disposition and trial rate. In the program, volunteers mediate cases that were not resolved through settlement conference. The study compared cases that were sent to mediation to those that were not sent. The comparison showed that mediated cases were more likely to settle (74% v 63%), but took longer to reach disposition (19 months v 12 months) and were more likely to go to trial (10% v 3%). The author suggested that the fact that the easiest cases to settle were not sent to mediation could account for the differences in time to disposition and trial rate.