As of September 1, 2002 there has been a change
in the Limited Mediation component of the CADRe program. This revision
affects only those cases involving an amount in controversy that does
not exceed $50,000.00 and where the CADRe office assigns a mediator to
the case, usually with input from the parties.
For those cases requesting or ordered to Limited Mediation as of September
1 the mediation will continue to be free of charge to the parties for
the first three (3) hours, and the court will continue to pay the mediator
the $150.00 fee for this time period. Thereafter, the mediator will give
the parties the option of continuing the mediation beyond that point.
If the parties wish to continue with their mediation efforts beyond the
initial three hours, or if they wish to return for any subsequent Limited
Mediation sessions, the mediator is now permitted to charge the parties
an hourly rate not to exceed $125.00 per hour.
This change does not affect cases going to CADRe Mediation (cases where
the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000.00 and the parties are paying
the mediator’s market hourly rate). Further, per CRC
1580.1(b)(2), all CADRe panelists agree to serve as an ADR neutral
on a pro bono or modest-means basis in at least one case per year, not
to exceed eight hours, if requested by the court. Please contact me at
805-568-3124 if you have any questions about this change in procedure.
Also, July 12 marked the CADRe program’s third year in operation.
The program’s cumulative statistics for the past three years are
now broken down by individual referring department and judge. The reports
are available in the CADRe offices or on the CADRe website at www.sbcadre.org/CADRe/docs/3yrStats.pdf.
New to the CADRe panels is Hon. Kenneth Andreen (ret) of San Luis Obispo.
As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions on how the CADRe office
might better serve your needs. You can reach me by phone at 805-568-3124,
or by e-mail at cprofio@sbcourts.org.