pretrial

n.
A proceeding held before an official trial, especially to clarify points of law and facts.

adj.

1. Of or relating to a pretrial.
2. Existing or occurring before a trial: pretrial imprisonment; pretrial hearings.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: (law) a conference held before the trial begins to bring the parties together to outline discovery proceedings and to define the issues to be tried; more useful in civil than in criminal cases
  Synonym: pretrial conference

---

The adjective pretrial has one meaning:

Meaning #1: preceding an official trial

---