Conflict Resolution Organizations Join Forces
to Explore Feasibility of a National Mediator Certification Program

The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) and the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (ABA) today announced that they will jointly undertake a feasibility study regarding a national mediator certification program. The two groups hope to learn whether U. S. mediators want and need voluntary professional certification granted on a national level.

ACR and the ABA Section plan to retain a professional consultant to conduct the feasibility study. Together, they have issued a Request for Proposals (RFP). They anticipate completion of the feasibility study early in 2005. The RFP can be found at http://www.acrnet.org/about/certification/feasibility_rfp.htm.

David Hart, CEO of ACR, said, “Many of our members across the country have expressed a strong interest in having a credential to signify their special training and expertise. A feasibility study is the right step to help us measure whether there is a true demand for national mediator certification.”

David Hoffman, a Boston lawyer and mediator who currently chairs the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, said, “Currently we have a patchwork quilt of certification programs, ranging from court certification in some states to private certification by mediation associations in others – each using different standards. We think there are clear advantages to a national program.”

To date, several statewide organizations have begun to certify mediators, but no national mediator group in the U.S. has done so. Mediators are not currently subject to state licensure.

Both ACR and the ABA have studied the development of a credential for mediators over the past few years. In 2001, the ABA Section formed a Credentialing Task Force, which issued a report in 2002. That report can be found at http://www.abanet.org/dispute/taksforce_report_2003.pdf. In 2002, ACR appointed a Task Force on Mediator Certification. Following an initial draft released for public comment in 2003, the Task Force released a report in March, 2004 that can be found at http://www.acrnet.org/about/taskforces/certification.htm. The ACR report favors national certification and suggests specific requirements.

If the study confirms the desirability of national mediator certification, a written exam will be developed to test a mediator’s knowledge of conflict resolution. In addition, the ACR model--which will be used as a blueprint—calls for presentation of a mediator’s “portfolio” of both specialized training in mediation skills and experience conducting mediation in real-life disputes. An applicant for certification would have to demonstrate completion of at least 100 hours of mediation training and a minimum of 100 hours of experience as a mediator in the previous 5 years (or 500 hours of experience in a lifetime).

For further information, contact David Hart (202-464-9700) or David Hoffman (617-439-4700 x201).

9/23/2004