Proposed Changes to Court-Connected Mediator Qualification Rules

Proposed changes to the court-connected mediator qualifications rules outlined in Uniform Trial Court Rules (UTCR) Chapter 12 are available for public comment.

Court-connected mediators, ADR court staff, program administrators, prospective mediators, and community stakeholders are invited to review and submit comments.

You may review proposed changes to the court-connected mediator qualification rules outlined in Uniform Trial Court Rules (UTCR) Chapter 12 at:

https://www.courts.oregon.gov/utcr or
Notice Seeking Public Comment on Proposed Uniform Trial Court Rules Changes for 2025 (the chapter 12 proposals begin on page 49).

You are invited to provide feedback on proposed changes to the court-connected mediator qualification rules through the UTCR public comment process. You can submit written comments by three methods:

Click on the button next to the proposed change in the Request for Public Comment document.
Email them to utcr@ojd.state.or.us.
Mail them to the UTCR Reporter at the Office of the State Court Administrator, Supreme Court Building, 1163 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301-2563.

The public comment period closes at 5:00 p.m. on February 18, 2025.

See this memo for more information.
See Chart 1: UTCR Chapter 12 Proposed Amendments and Reasoning.
This chart compares the existing rule, the proposed rule, and the Advisory Committee’s reasoning for proposed substantive changes.
See Chart 2: Proposed UTCR Chapter 12 Court-Connected Mediator Qualifications by Case Type. This chart compares the proposed qualification requirements by mediator type.
See Chart 3: Proposed Court-Connected Mediation Training Requirements. This chart outlines the underlying requirements for each of the four court-connected mediation trainings.
See the three pending draft State Court Administrator Guidelines relating to Oregon Judicial Department Court-Connected Mediator Qualification Rules Training Curriculums:

See Flowchart 1: Pathways for fulfilling mediator experience qualification to become a court-connected domestic relations mediator. This flowchart outlines the three mediator experience pathways for Domestic Relations Custody and Parenting Plan Mediators and Financial Issues Mediators.