Mediation in the Western District of Washington

• NCJ Number: 96314
• Author(s): K Tegland
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 39 pages
• Corporate Author: Federal Judicial Ctr
• Sale Source: Federal Judicial Ctr; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Innovations in the Courts - A Series on Court Administration

Annotation

This report describes the mediation procedure used for selected civil cases in the Western District of Washington.

Abstract

The court initiated the mediation program in response to what it perceived as an emergency in the administration of civil cases: several judgeships were vacant, filings were increasing sharply, and Congress had imposed requirements for the priority scheduling of criminal trials. To alleviate the growing backlog of civil cases, the court and the local Federal bar association jointly developed a procedure by which judges may refer civil cases to volunteer attorneys who serve as mediators without compensation to attempt to induce settlements. This procedure is embodied in Local Civil Rule 39.1. The report describes both the codified procedure and its actual operation, based on interviews with judges, court clerks, attorneys who have used the procedure, and attorneys who drafted the local rule. The text of the local rule and sample letters designating cases for mediation are included as aids to other courts that might consider adopting such a program.