The court makes a directory of certified mediators available to litigants. The mediator has a duty to advise all parties of any circumstances bearing on possible bias, prejudice, or partiality. The court believes that neutrals acting pursuant to the court's ADR procedures have judicial immunity in the same manner and to the same extent as a judge of the district court. When the mediator is selected by the parties, the mediator's fee is determined by the parties and the mediator. When the mediator is appointed by the court, the mediator is compensated at a court-set rate.
Parties usually pay the mediator's fees in equal shares.
Parties found indigent by the court have no payment obligations, and the neutral's fee is reduced by the indigent party's share. The program is administered by the clerk's office, and the assigned judge handles individual case management matters relating to mediation or other ADR in that judge's cases.