Choosing A Mediator

     There are many talented mediators in Maryland eager to assist in resolving your conflict.  Also, mediators come from a variety of backgrounds and professions: Legal, Mental Health, Social Work, and Finance among others.  Please keep in mind that in the State of Maryland no license is required to mediate.  However, to mediate for the Circuit Court in Maryland, become listed on the court's roster and be assigned mediation cases, training and experience qualifications must be met.

    The Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution (MCDR) is one of the few credentialing entities in the country certifying mediators based up an assessment of the mediator's demonstrated performance.  MCDR, the oldest mediation practitioner group in Maryland, has been certifying mediators for over 15 years.  MCDR certification has been used by the circuit courts in Maryland to assess mediators. 

     We suggest some questions you might wish to ask when calling or interviewing a mediator:

1.  How long have you been mediating this type of case?  What other types of cases do you mediate?

2.  What training have you taken?

3.  What preparation is needed for the mediation?

4.  What is your fee schedule, including sessions, phone calls & e-mails, and agreement drafting?

5.  What are the advantages of mediation for my situation?  Any disadvantages?

6.  Do you mediate with both people in the same room, or by "caucusing" (when opposing parties are each located in        separate rooms and the mediator goes back and forth between two parties)?

7.  Do I need a lawyer, and what would be the lawyer's role during the mediation. 

8.  How do I make my mediated agreement "official"?

9.  Of the several styles of mediation, what is yours and how does it work? Facilitative, Evaluative, Narrative,                    Transformative, Eclectic. 

10.  Do you co-mediate or work solo?