July 30, 2008 - Madison County Arbitration Program Has Successful First Year

One year after the Madison County, Illinois, Circuit Court began its mandatory arbitration program, court administrators there have deemed it a success. All civil cases for monetary claims of $10,000 to $50,000 are automatically sent to arbitration. According to an article in the Belleville News-Democrat, 741 cases were filed with the program last year, and only 10% remain open. The program enjoys a 26% award rejection rate, as compared to the state average of 54%. Less than 2% of cases went to trial. Associate Judge Ralph Mendelsohn, who supervises the program, said it has helped take pressure off the court system.

To read the article from the Belleville News-Democrat, click here. To learn more about the Madison County program, visit the Court ADR Resource Center Illinois Court ADR Sourcebook.

June 9, 2008 - AFCC to Offer Child Custody and Parenting Coordination Training in Chicago

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts is offering two training programs on child custody and parenting coordination in late June at the Loyola Law Center in Chicago. The programs are specifically designed for professionals who work with high-conflict families. The first, "Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Abuse, Alienation and Other Challenges," will be presented by Robin M. Deutsch from June 23-24. Joan B. Kelly will present the second program, "Parenting Coordination: Helping High-Conflict Parents Resolve Disputes," from June 25-26.

For more information, visit the AFCC web site.

March 14, 2008 - RSI Releases Fall/Winter 2007 Newsletter

The latest edition of RSI's newsletter, Analyzing the Alternatives, is now available online. The issue includes a feature on RSI's Statewide Mediation Access Project, in which RSI is working with courts, legal services and other groups to develop mediation services to meet the needs of poor and low-income litigants. The issue also highlights the recently launched Court ADR Resource Center, at CourtADR.org.

To read the Fall/Winter 2007 newsletter, click here.