Pretrial (adjective)

Happening or done before a trial, especially as a preliminary step.

Origin:

Late 17th century: from pre- + trial.

Examples:

1. The accused was held in custody pending the pretrial hearing.
2. The defense counsel asked for pretrial discovery of the prosecution's evidence.
3. The pretrial investigation revealed several new witnesses.
4. The pretrial conference between the lawyers helped to narrow the issues for trial.
5. The judge ordered a pretrial mental evaluation of the defendant.