The Court accepted recommendations from the Committee in 1991. These courts then continued to provide free, pre-filing mediation in small claims and misdemeanor cases.
Many courts offer mediation as a free, pre-filing court service.
Other courts choose to set a mediation date between the filing and court hearing and some courts offer mediation on the day of trial. Court staff mediate in courts at all levels. Thirty-six counties have received grant funds since 1995. The goal is to make court-staffed mediation available in every county by 2005. Courts obtain long-term funding from their local funding authorities after they have demonstrated the value of mediation during the grant period.