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The Mediation
Project The Court Mediation Project for the 10th Judicial Circuit began as a pilot in 1999 in district court on the double pro se small claims dockets of the four judges. It was founded with a grant from a private foundation and was funded for several years thereafter by a mini-grant from the Alabama Supreme Court. Since that time, court connected mediation has become a part of the 10th Judicial Circuit.
Since 2000, Project mediators have provided pro bono mediation services on Friday mornings. The resolution rate has remained between 67% and 68% and in excess of 400 cases have been resolved each year since the pilot began. In 2003, the Mediation Project accepted an invitation from Presiding Judge Scott Vowell, to expand the Project to include Ad Valorem tax appeal cases in Jefferson County. The resolution rate has remained at 97% or better and approximately 100 cases per tax year have been successfully mediated. Calendar year 2006 marked an expansion of a facilitation pilot into the Family Court through a cooperative effort with Cumberland School of Law. Cumberland’s student facilitators assist parents in discussing post-minority support issues and paternity issues and receive valuable experience and academic credit for their efforts.
Beginning in 2008 and continuing to present, the Mediation Project began developing and implementing pilot programs in Criminal Court and in Domestic Relations Court. The expansion into Domestic Relations Court was made possible by a joint effort between the Court Mediation Project, the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers http://vlpbirmingham.org and could not have been possible without generous input from individual members of the Alabama State Bar’s specialty sections. Partnering meeting are ongoing between the Court, court connected programs, non-profits, community stakeholders, municipal entities within Jefferson County and the public. For information contact: The Mediation Center V. Michelle Obradovic, Esq., Court Mediator 10th Judicial Circuit, Jefferson County, Alabama 716 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N., Room 540-1 Birmingham, Alabama 35203 Mediation Center Main Line: 205-325-1989 Michelle@CourtMediationCenter.org Click
below for the 2011 Overview and Forms packet: Past Media
Coverage of the Project: Birmingham News - Tuesday, February 9, 2009.pdf lawyer_leads_mediation_proj.pdf lawyer_leads_mediation_proj2.pdf Letter
from Justice Sue Bell Cobb: |
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