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Information Sheet - 4
 January 2006

APPEAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCES
Purpose
Appeal Management Conferences (AMCs) are one of the tools used by the Board to resolve appeals in a quick and cost effective manner. The main purpose of an AMC is to discuss the issues, likely evidence and whether the appeal can be resolved without a hearing. Even if the AMC does not result in the resolution of the appeal, it usually helps the parties understand and sometimes narrow the issues, identify where they disagree and thereby allow the hearing run more smoothly and be more focussed.

The Board chairs the AMC with direct involvement of the appeal parties. While some AMCs are conducted through an in-person meeting, most are held via a teleconference. The Board often organizes AMCs as a first main step in an appeal, however, a party can request an AMC at anytime. In complex appeals, you may be required to attend more than one AMC.


What happens in an AMC?
The parties do not need to submit all their evidence to the Board prior to an AMC. To make the discussion more productive, however, the Board asks the parties to be prepared to discuss details of their position on the appeal and what evidence they would submit if the appeal went to a hearing. During the AMC, the parties should make any requests for information or documents from the other party.

At the AMC, the Board may set a date for a hearing and may require the parties to do any of the following:
  • provide more information in writing about the appeal;
  • produce relevant documents;
  • provide lists of witnesses or summaries of a witness’s evidence;
  • produce an agreed statements of facts;
  • attend a settlement conference;
  • other requirements such as joining the appeal with another related appeal.
Most commonly, the Board will impose time limits for the parties to provide evidence, documents or submissions prior to a hearing. If a hearing is set, the Board will also decide if it will be conducted through an “in-person” hearing or through written submissions. The Board can also provide information on how a hearing is conducted and what is expected of the parties.