A special master “is a surrogate of the Court and in that sense the service performed is an important public duty of high order in much the same way as is serving in the Judiciary.” – Chief Justice Warren Burger

Court-appointed masters perform a wide variety of tasks. They serve various roles in pretrial discovery and proceedings, facilitate the mediated settlement of cases, make recommendations and submit reports to judges, assist with complex issues, chair advisory committees composed of lawyers of record, help administer class actions and settlements, propose orders jointly recommended by parties, make decisions based on a judicial reference or the parties’ consent, and become engaged in post-trial proceedings.

Masters serve critically important functions in our civil justice system. The need for their services will continue to increase, making special master appointments more common and important in the years ahead.