Starting next year, all statewide courts that elect to use mediation will be required to incorporate into their local rule Ohio’s Uniform Mediation Act, identify cases that are eligible for mediation, and address confidentiality.

Ohio has 254 courts using mediation across all case types in all courts. Recently, the Fifth District Court of Appeals added a mediation program in its 15 counties, and courts are increasing the use of mediation in cases involving abuse, neglect, and dependency.

Rule provisions will be updated to include the increased responsibilities of courts and mediators in court-connected mediation, to add a complaint process, and to remove the reference to a specific number of hours for mediator training, focusing instead on quality over quantity.

Last year, the Ohio Supreme Court’s Dispute Resolution Program and Commission on Dispute Resolution asked for public comment on proposed Rules 16-16.36 of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio. As a result, the adopted amendments will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020, and:

• Apply to courts that elect to use mediation
• Apply to mediators who mediate for courts
• Require courts who use mediation to have a local mediation rule
• Update mediator training requirements
• Require courts to establish screening and complaint procedures
• Require mediators to follow model standards and core values for mediation.

Visit the Ohio Supreme Court’s website to see the adopted amendments to Rule 16 of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio or contact the Dispute Resolution Section at Dispute.Resolution@sc.ohio.gov for more information.

PDF files may be viewed, printed, and searched using the free Acrobat^® Reader
Acrobat Reader is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.