Early Settlement Mediation - East Program

Description

The Alternative Dispute Resolution System in Oklahoma is currently made up of twelve community-based mediation centers (Early Settlement) and eleven programs developed by state agencies. (Appendix A) This system which was authorized (1983) and funded (1985) by the state legislature through the Oklahoma Dispute Resolution Act, 12 O.S. Supp. 1997, § 1801 et seq., is administered and supervised by the Administrative Director of the Courts (ADC) through his designee, the ADR System Director, with the ongoing input of the Dispute Resolution Advisory Board.

Mediator candidates for the programs are required to complete training and an experience-based practicum provided under the authority of the ADC in order to achieve certification as a mediator. They are not charged fees for their training. Mediators for the Early Settlement Program work as volunteers while mediators for the state-agency programs add mediation to their job duties.