The 17th Circuit Court is proud to provide options to its court users to resolve civil disputes outside of the courtroom.
ADR Programs:
- Family Mediation
- Small Claims Mediation
- Major Civil Mediation
- Residential Foreclosure Mediation
- Court Annexed Mandatory Arbitration
Additional Resources:
Alternative Dispute Resolution is a term that describes programming aimed at helping parties come to a mutually satisfying agreement.
Arbitration
Arbitration is utilized in certain civil cases to expedite resolution and avoid trial. Parties and their attorneys appear before a panel of three trained attorneys and present their evidence and arguments. Arbitrators will then deliberate and provide their decision later that day. The parties can then accept or reject the decision. If the decision is rejected, a court date is set so the matter can proceed to trial.
Attorneys wishing to apply to be an arbitrator with the 17th Circuit may contact the ADR Center.
Mediation
Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution where a trained neutral third party, a mediator, facilitates communication between parties to explore options to work towards resolution. The 17th Circuit has a number of mediation programs:
Professionals wishing to be a court-approved mediator can submit an application to the 17th Circuit.
