Skip to content

Mediation and ADR

Authority to settle

Also called settlement authority

The power to agree to a settlement on a party's behalf without needing anyone else's approval. Court rules often require a person with this authority to attend mediation.[1][2]

In more detail

Florida's civil rules describe a party representative with full authority as the final decision maker who can legally sign a binding settlement agreement.[1] The Northern District of California requires clients with settlement authority and knowledge of the facts to attend mediation,[2] and settlement judges there generally require those attending a settlement conference to have authority to negotiate a settlement.[3] When a business, insurer or agency is a party, it matters who that person is.

Varies by state

Who must attend, and with what authority, is set by each state's rules and each court's orders. Find your state’s rules.

Related terms

  • Appearance at mediationThe attendance a court's rules require for a party to count as present at mediation.
  • Settlement agreementThe written terms the parties agree to that resolve their dispute.
  • Settlement conferenceA meeting where the parties and their lawyers try to settle with the help of an impartial person, often a judge or experienced lawyer, who may evaluate the case and suggest terms.

Read next on MediationList

Sources

The official documents this definition is based on, with the date we last read each one. Definitions are in our own words.

  1. Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules 1.700–1.750 (mediation), Oct. 1, 2026 edition (last read Oct. 10, 2026; not re-checked, because this host is on our do-not-fetch list)floridabar.orgchecked ↩
  2. Mediation (ADR program)cand.uscourts.govchecked ↩
  3. Settlement conferencescand.uscourts.govchecked ↩

General information, not legal advice. MediationList is not a law firm. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Cite this page

Page updated

MediationList. (2026, October 28). Authority to settle: Definition. https://mediationlist.com/glossary/authority-to-settle/

APA 7th ed. A retrieval date is included only for pages whose content changes, such as maps, data and tools.