There is clear demand from litigation attorneys, corporate counsel, adjusters and individual parties to know more specific information about a given neutral: their ADR services and experience, qualifications & certifications, language skills, dispute areas in which they have substantial legal expertise, and so on.
It is the Academy's view that firms and parties seeking an experienced ADR professional to help resolve their dispute should have access to the best neutrals in each state AS REVIEWED BY THE LOCAL LITIGATION COMMUNITY. Further, the Academy charges no consulting fee, nor takes a share of the attorney's fees, unlike panels or private firms. Simply contact the Academy member's office directly by calling, or scheduling a meeting online.
There are 2 easy ways to check dates for your local Academy neutrals (saving HOURS of scheduling telephone tag in the process!)
If you have just ONE particular neutral
in mind:
Simply search for your preferred
mediator/arbitrator's name - you can do this via the
above NEUTRAL SEARCH option, or - even quicker -
click the little search icon at the top right of the
site and begin typing the first few letters. When
you see the name you require, just select it from
the dropdown that appears. If published, that
neutral's calendar appears in the right column of
their profile page. Simply click your preferred
available date to reserve appointment online.
If you have several dates that might work:
Visit the MEMBER DIRECTORY map, and click your preferred state to pull up a complete list of all local
members.
Top right of the list, there's a button saying
"Compare Available Dates" - click that to go to our DateSelector tool, which will allow you to cross-reference available dates for all these members by clicking on the
large calendar. The names that are highlighted are
confirmed available on your selected date.
Most Academy members make their available dates online for the benefit of clients such as yourself. If you wish to send a request for a mediation/arbitration to a particular member, just click any of the available (blue) dates on that member's online calendar, and a Date Request form will pop up. Once the Date Request form has been filled in (including choice of time slots, your contact info and the name of the case) simply hit the Submit Request button at the bottom. A copy of this form is then routed straight to the member AND his/her designated scheduling staff, and you'll immediately receive a notice via email. In week day office hours, you can generally expect an email or phone response within the hour.
Simple - just click on the NEUTRAL SEARCH option up on the top menu and you'll see the first option allows you to enter the last name of the attorney; just enter that and hit the Search button. Alternatively, if you know which state he/she is based in, just visit the MEMBER DIRECTORY page and click that state to view a full list of local Academy members.
Generally, NO - members of the Academy have been selected mainly in recognition of their excellence in the resolution of disputes within the civil/commercial arena, and typically most such cases involved high stakes dollar amounts. If you are looking for a mediator to handle your divorce case, your best course is to contact your local State Bar and ask if they keep a roster of locally qualified/certified family mediators.
Membership is by invitation only - the Academy thoroughly surveys litigation firms and related trial lawyers and defense associations in each state to identify only the most widely-acceptable neutrals. Any interested professionals are welcome to contact us directly but only if they are quite certain that they meet our listed formal criteria and believe they might receive nominating votes from their peers.
For more information on the history of NADN, please click here.
