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Wed, 04/08/2021 - 14:33 By Phoenix Disput…
Become Mediator California

Court Mediation Requirements - California

In California, courts often maintain rosters of mediators for court-referred cases. Training requirements to become a court-connected mediator are provided under the Dispute Resolution Program Act (DRPA). Training requirements include at least 40 hours of training. Individual jurisdictions may impose additional experiential requirements to join their court rosters.

Before or after completing your mediation training, you will want to identify your local court roster requirements if you intend to practice entirely or partially as a court mediator. The below tables provide some insight into basic court requirements for mediators in different counties and districts of California. You should use this information as a starting point in your research and contact your local district for clarification and confirmation.

Local Court Requirements by District or County

Sr. No.

Court-connected Panels

Requirements

Website

1

Central District

  1. Court conducted/approved mediation training;

  1. Must be a member of the Bar of the United States District Court, Central District of California, with at least 10 years legal practice experience;

OR

  1. Experience as a United States Appellate, District, Magistrate or Bankruptcy Judge, or a California Judicial Officer.

2

Northern District

For Attorney mediators:

  1. Must be members of the bar of the Northern District Court;

  1. Have legal experience of at least 7 years;

  1. Must be knowledgeable in civil litigation;

  1. Participation in four-day, two-part Mediation training of the Northern District Court.

3

Southern District

For Attorney Mediators:

  1. Must be an active member of the State Bar of California;

  1. Have legal experience of at least 4 years;

  1. Have experience as the attorney of record for at least 3 bankruptcy cases or other substantial bankruptcy experience;

Non-Attorney Mediators:

  1. Must be a member of the panel of trustees or examiners maintained by the Office of the United States Trustee;

OR

  1. Has served in at least 3 bankruptcy matters as either a bankruptcy examiner or Certified Public Accountant

4

Alameda County

  1. Must have completed 40 hours of mediation training;

  1. Have documented completion of at least five mediated cases

5

Fresno County

  1. Must be licensed to practice law in the State of California with an experience of at least 5 years;

  1. Complete 40 hours of mediation training. Potential mediators who have no prior mediation experience must have co-mediated with a mentor mediator and been evaluated by them.

  1. Complete at least 3 hours of Domestic Violence training.

6

Los Angeles County

  1. Must be a member in good standing with the California State Bar with 2 years’ experience in family law;

  1. Complete minimum 40 hours of mediation training;

  1. Minimum 10 hours mediating the litigated case training from a single training provider;

  1. Completion of 5 mediations that are at least two hours in length;

  1. 8 hours of CLE on an annual basis.

7

Marin County

  1. Complete 40 hours of mediation training;

  1. Complete at least 5 mediations, of which 2 are co-mediations, within the last two years.

8

Orange County

  1. Must be a member in good standing of the California Bar for a minimum of 10 years;

  1. Complete at least 30 hours of mediator;

  1. Conduct at least 8 mediations of 2 hours within the last 3 years.

 

9

San Diego

  1. Competed a bachelor’s degree;

  1. Completed 32 hours of mediation training;

  1. Mediated at least 6 mediations of 2 hours in length. Co-mediation with a mediator already on the panel fulfills this requirement.

10

Yolo County

Completed a minimum of 40 hours of custody and visitation mediation training within the first six months of initial employment as a court-connected mediator.

Practicum Training Opportunities

Practicum programs allow newly-qualified mediators to gain valuable experience by taking part in real-life mediations as observers, co-mediators and mediators. Most practicum programs operate on an unpaid voluntary basis for participants whilst other receive a fee for providing experiential opportunities. Practicum programs usually require at least 30 hours of mediation training as a prerequisite for registration.

Please note that the below list is not exhaustive.

Sr. No.

Organization

Requirements

Address

Website

1

College of Extended & International Education
  1. Have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university;

  1. Have been in good academic standing at the last educational institution attended;

  1. Have a strong command of English both orally and in writing;

  1. An official transcript from the institution where you received your highest degree.

1000 E. Victoria Street

Carson, CA

https://www.csudh.edu/ceie/mediation-conflict-resolution/

2

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Completion of Mediation Theory and Practice, or an equivalent course or training program.

24255 Pacific Coast Highway

Malibu, CA 90263

https://law.pepperdine.edu/straus/academic-programs/mediation-clinic/

3

Fresno Pacific University
  1. Application form and fee;

  1. Orientation interview with program director;

  1. One current professional reference form;

  1. Statement of intent;

  1. Official transcripts verifying BA/BS degree;

  1. Letter of explanation if GPA is below 2.75;

  1. Writing sample indicating graduate-level proficiency.

1717 S. Chestnut Ave. Fresno, California

https://www.fresno.edu/programs-majors/graduate/mediation