Why are pretrial hearings necessary, especially if both parties have pursued the lawsuit with full knowledge?

What will be an ideal response?

One of the major purposes of pretrial hearings is to facilitate the settlement of a case. This saves on legal expenses incurred by both parties. It also helps to save the time of the court, which can be used to pursue other (and more crucial) cases. If no settlement is reached, the pretrial hearing is used to identify the major trial issues and other relevant factors.