Since 1985, the Family Court Ordinance, 1985 had given jurisdiction to the trial Judge to effect reconciliation between the parties both before and after the trial. This Ordinance dealt with divorce, restitution of conjugal rights, dower, maintenance and custody of children. All Assistant Judges were ex officio Family Court Judges. In June 2000, formalized ADR was introduced in Bangladesh by means of court- annexed judicial settlement pilot projects, in an effort to decrease delays, expenses, and the frustrations of litigants laboring through the traditional trial process.