Let’s mediate together
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Come volunteer with us
Are you a lawyer, law student, or recent JD and want to put that forty-hour mediation certificate to use? We are ready for you.
Complete the volunteer form and a coordinator will reach and help complete the sign up process.
Perks of being a TVMA mediator include not just the opportunity to work with parties to settle cases but also free CLEs.
Schedule your mediation
Fill out a simple form and a volunteer coordinator will reach out to you and the other parties to confirm everyone’s information and connect you with your volunteer mediator.
Want to know more about the process?
Need legal resouces? Mediators cannot provide any legal advice, however, TVMA will point you to resources from law guides to pro bono legal assistance.
About Texas Volunteer Mediator Association
Why TVMA?
Thousands of cases are filed into the county courts in Texas every week. While many will be mediated at the local dispute resolution centers and some litigants will be able to afford regular mediation services, there are so many more cases that fall through the cracks.
We are here to change that.
Our mediators are law students, recent JDs, and attorney who want to close the access to justice gap by providing low-bono mediation services online.
We are a 501(c)3 and a registered non-profit in the State of Texas.
How do I become a mediator?
If you are an attorney, law student, or recent JD that has completed your 40-hour certificate, fill out this short form and our volunteer coordinator will contact you.
Don’t worry if you don’t know a particular area of law, haven’t been practicing long, or are out of practice. We will have training and CLEs available to you as well as set you up with a mentor or co-mediator until you are ready to fly on your own.
All mediations will be online, via the Zoom platform. Mediation scheduling will be between you and the parties so it works best with everyone’s schedule, even evenings and weekends if that is the best time.
Meet the people
From lawyers to programmers to law school interns, these are the people who launched TVMA.
We are always looking for more committed volunteers to teach, translate, write, research, and mediate with us.
Implicit Bias
TVMA takes the ethical responsibilities of being “free from bias” seriously. Our educators provide a basic, two-hour introduction to implicit bias on an ongoing basis.
In addition to the basic class, TVMA is offering “deep dive” classes into specific areas such as: race, gender, LGBTQIA, socio-economic, non-verbal communication, and more. New classes will be on the schedule every few weeks, so ensure you are on the newsletter list.
If your organization is looking for a speaker on implicit bias, please contact Denise Peterson.
Have you have been ordered to mediate or your opposing party has suggested mediation and you don’t know what this is or how it works? No worries.
Mediation is a voluntary process by which parties seek a resolution to their case outside of the courtroom. Facilitated by a professional mediator, the discussions are confidential. The case is resolved by agreement between the parties and a final document is created called a “mediated settlement agreement” or “MSA” for short.
Mediators cannot provide legal advice to the parties, so if you are representing yourself, it is strongly recommended you seek legal counsel.
Mediators are professional neutrals and will not “take sides” in a dispute. They are not decision makers – decisions are made by the parties.
Mediators will listen to both parties, discuss the realities of litigation, and seek out zones of agreement to help bring the case to a resolution.
Have more questions? Go check out the Resources section.
volunteer to mediate
submit a case
Resources
Have questions? Here are resources to help answer questions like the following:
- How does mediation work?
- How do I prepare for mediation?
- How do I find legal assistance?
Latest News
The TVMA newsletter is the best way to catch up with our latest news. Sign-up here or check this space often for updates.
- Current Newsletter