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.
SPAM
Due to a high volume of spam, should you receive any communication from an entity purporting to be or representing the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, please verify by contacting the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution at (334) 356-3802.
Identity thieves continually develop new ways to try to find out your personal information. Some common tip-offs that an email is phony are typos, grammatical mistakes, awkward language, missing words, extra spaces, and other signs that the email was written unprofessionally. Such emails might also ask you to look at an attachment or click a link and then give your personal information on a Web page or in a form. Or the sender’s email address might look suspicious. However, attackers are getting better at creating phony emails that look legitimate, so if you feel at all uncomfortable about an email that claims to be from the Center contact us.
2021 ADR by the Numbers
Last year's statistics for Mediation, Arbitration, and Private Judging are available now 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
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.