Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary
A meeting of the judge and the lawyers (or unrepresented parties) in a pending legal matter, to determine how the case is progressing. At the status conference, the judge may ask about what discovery has been conducted, whether and how the parties have tried to settle the case, and other pretrial matters. The judge may also schedule dates for pretrial motions, completion of discovery, and trial. Often, court rules require the parties to file paperwork before the conference answering questions about the issues to be discussed at the conference.