ACDR News and Highlights
Since 1994, we have been the state office of dispute resolution for Alabama. At the Center, we work with the courts, the Alabama State Bar, state agencies, schools, community mediation initiatives, and businesses to promote early and peaceful resolution of disputes. The Center serves as the administrative arm of the Alabama Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution.
Mediating Juvenile Dependency and Termination-of-Parental Rights (TPR) Cases - January 29-30, 2024
The Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, Inc. and the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts are offering a training session for attorney mediators who may be interested in mediating juvenile dependency and termination-of-parental rights (TPR) cases in certain counties around the State of Alabama through a Pilot Project authorized by an Order of the Supreme Court of Alabama dated September 27, 2023. This course has been submitted for approval to the Alabama State Bar Association for 16 hours of MCLE credit (including one-hour of ethics).
The course is a two-day in-person course and will be held in the Helfin-Torbert Judicial Building, 300 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL on January 29-30, 2024.
To register for this course, you must:
- Be a registered mediator with the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, Inc. [get registered];
- Have completed a 40-hour divorce/domestic relations mediation course approved by the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, Inc.; and
- Be a licensed attorney in the State of Alabama.
COST:
- FREE to attorney mediators who wish to participate in the Voluntary Dependency/TPR Mediation Pilot Project authorized by the Supreme Court of Alabama. Attorney mediators will agree to mediate two-to-three juvenile dependency/TPR cases pro bono (no fee) each month through September 30, 2025 in counties participating in the Pilot Project. You may e-mail Bob Maddox with the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts to determine which counties are participating in the Pilot Project. His e-mail address is bob.maddox@ alacourt.gov.
- $750 for attorney mediators electing not to participate in the Voluntary Dependency/TPR Mediation Pilot Project.
Note: Priority registration is given to mediators who wish to participate in the Voluntary Dependency/TPR Mediation Pilot Project. Class size is limited to 20 registrants.
To reserve your slot, please complete the registration form and send the form with a check (if applicable) made payable to the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, at PO Box 680516, Prattville, Alabama 36068.
For any other questions, contact the Center at (334) 356-3802.
News for Alabama Neutrals
Read the latest issue of the "News" with
Alabama's First Landlord/Tenant Mediation Program
Thanks to grants during 2022 from the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation, the Alabama Law Foundation, and the Alabama Access to Justice Commission, additional help is now available for landlords and tenants.
The Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution (the Center) was awarded $130,500 to provide free mediation services, for up to two hours per case, for landlords and tenants in unlawful detainer, eviction actions and landlord/tenant disputes filed in Alabama courts. This is court-ordered mediation.
Mediators participating in the program are on the state court roster of registered mediators maintained by the Center.
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Learn more about the Program ~
ADR by the Numbers
The 2022 statistics for Mediation, Arbitration, and Private Judging are available in our annual report.
Gold Handbook Updated
The fifth edition of Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures in Alabama with Mediation Model, known as the Gold Handbook, is updated for 2021 and available for download as a pdf file!
- ~ Gold Handbook ~
Educational Videos Online
Anchoring in Mediation- Mediating in the Post-COVID Era
From our May 2023 webinars...Join presenters Rod Max of Upchurch Watson White & Max, and Allen Schreiber of Schreiber ADR, as they discuss Mediating in the Post-Covid Era. This program was recorded May 18, 2023.
Dealing with Difficult People in Mediation
From our May 2023 webinars... Join mediators Jon Lewis and Tom Corbett as they discuss ways to deal with difficult people in mediation. This program was recorded May 4, 2023.
The Importance of Empathy in Mediation
From our April 2022 webinars... Neutrals interact with disputants from various backgrounds. Building rapport helps to establish common ground, emphasize similarities, and establish empathy to help parties feel more comfortable in the exchange. Attorneys representing clients may wish to build rapport not only with their clients, but with the neutral in order to be more effective communicators and better listeners.
ADR Trends in Alabama
Have you wondered what impact the pandemic has had on alternative dispute resolution in Alabama? During this 60-minute webinar, we reviewed ADR trends from 2021 and also talked about online dispute resolution projects that Judge Brent Craig is working on such as Online Traffic Resolution and Morgan County’s Pilot Small Claims District Court Mediation Program. Our presenters included Hon. Brent Craig, James N. Walter, Jr., Esq., and Eileen Harris, Esq.
Best Practices in Arbitration
From our April 2022 webinars... Join three well-known arbitrators from around the State of Alabama as they share their best practices for advocates and arbitrators in preparing for and conducting an efficient and fair arbitration hearing and issuing an award.
Mediating Tips for Mediators and Lawyers in the Land of Zoom
We're not in Kansas Anymore!
From our Webinar held in September 2021. Remote mediation is a whole new way to mediate! Harold Stephens and Cooper Shattuck explore how to navigate the changes. Go to Mediating Tips for Mediators and Lawyers in the Land of Zoom.
Landlord Tenant Evictions and Collaborative Law
This is one of our most requested webinars! Originally held April 2021.
Go to Landlord Tenant Evictions Video.
How to Get the Best Experience from Online Mediation
In this webinar, a panel of experienced attorney-mediators shares information gained from conducting online mediations throughout the state. This program is appropriate for lawyers representing clients in mediations as well as those wanting to learn more about online dispute resolution. Watch the video on the Online Mediation page.
COVID-19 Concerns: Online Mediation Offers an Option
On March 16, 2020, we held our first webinar on virtual mediation. Susan Guthrie presented a FREE member benefit program via the Zoom platform on “Online Dispute Mediation and Coaching.” For those practitioners whose in-person mediations and meetings are being canceled and postponed due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus, ONLINE MEDIATION provides an easily implemented solution. Listen to an audio-recording of the presentation and review other related materials on the Online Mediation page.
More Videos Online
More training videos are available for free in our Resources section.
Additional Training Opportunities
Take advantage of upcoming training opportunities sponsored by the Alabama State Bar Section on Dispute Resolution and the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution.
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