SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES WEST DISTRICT NOTICE OF COURT MEDIATION PROGRAM NEED FOR ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (ADR) The Court recognizes that full, formal litigation of claims can impose a large economic burden on the parties as well as the court system and can delay the resolution of disputes. It is the goal of the Court to encourage the parties to lawsuits filed in the Municipal or Superior Courts of Los Angeles County, West District, to explore meaningful alternatives for resolving their disputes through various voluntary methods that have been shown to be successful in many Jurisdictions, both state and federal. after a Although most (90-98%) cases do settle, many settlements come only Such considerable amount of time, money, and resources have been expended. expenditures, as well as the adversarial nature of litigation, can be a disincentive The Los Angeles County Superior Court encourages the use of to settlement. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as early as possible in the case. MEDIATION In addition to Judicial arbitration, the Court is now providing, at no cost to the parties, a mediation program, pursuant to California Rules of Court, Rule 1631, et seq. Mediation is one of the most frequently used methods of ADR because it is informal, In this process the parties select a quick, convenient, and can be confidential. neutral mediator from a panel provided by the Court at the First Status Conference. The selected mediator will schedule a hearing date; at that time, the mediator will assist the parties in identifying issues, establishing areas of agreement, and in Since mediation requires the finding a solution or settlement of the dispute. agreement of the parties to resolve the matter, control of the proceedings and determinations of what is fair remain completely in the parties' hands. Mediation has been shown to have a high success rate in resolving cases. An advantage of mediation over arbitration is that it does not trigger a discovery cut-off date. ADVANTAGES OF ADR The filing of your complaint or answer may be dust the beginning of the costs that you will incur during the course of your lawsuit. Lawsuits can be extremely costly. By utilizing ADR methods such as mediation early in the course of your case, you may significantly reduce these costs by either resolving the case before expensive discovery and trial proceedings are commenced or by narrowing the scope of your discovery by identifying disputed and undisputed factual and legal issues. ADR can be a fast, economical, efficient, and effective way to resolve civil cases, ADR procedures can be and most litigants report satisfaction with the process. scheduled at your convenience and can be completed in a fraction of the time required for traditional litigation. The process will give you an opportunity to test the strengths and weaknesses of your case without adverse impact in the event of trial. ADR allows your personal participation in reaching a mutually acceptable resolution and possibly avoiding the uncertainties and expense of trial. DDP/CRT -MED . NTC 5/4/95 2000 (C) American LegalNet, Inc.