The Congress of Neutrals will be offering a 40 hour certified Mediation training, November 8, 9, 10, 22 and 23, 2024 by Zoom/Online. This certification will provide you with the opportunity to mediate in the courts and launch your own mediation practice. The program will be taught by attorneys and mediators who have many years of training, instructional and mediation experience. We offer continued skill building through our MMP program. Our program costs are the lowest in the bay area. If you are interested, please fill out the contact form below or contact our director at dlevy.congressofneutrals@gmail.com.
If you are interested in becoming a mediator in the Contra Costa Superior Court or would like hands-on mediation training through our Mediation Mentoring Program (MMP) we have a 6-session mediation training program. If you are interested, please fill out the contact form below or contact our director at dlevy.congressofneutrals@gmail.com.
The Congress of Neutrals now offers mediation in the community beyond the walls of the Contra Costa County Courthouses through our Private Mediation Program. Our mission is to help the community meet the gap in the need for mediation at affordable rates.Our highly trained mediators can mediate in a vast number of subject matters, as many of our mediators are trained attorneys and negotiators with backgrounds in finance, counseling, and many areas of civil law to include but not limited to real estate/unlawful detainers, construction defects, insurance claims, tort injury, money dispute, probate and much more.
As a non-profit and community minded, our goal is to provide our services to meet the needs of those who may not be able to pay the rates of other mediators. We offer better than competitive rates and we offer a need-based sliding scale for those eligible. Contact us at contact@congressofneutrals.org. for our rates.
Mediator Training
40-Hour Training Course
Date: November 8, 9, 10, 22 and 23
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom/Online
This comprehensive course is designed to qualify new mediators for our Mediation Mentoring Program (MMP), which affords participants the opportunity to gain actual experience mediating small claims, unlawful detainers and other cases in the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Since 2007, we have offered extensive mediation skills training specifically designed for practicing attorneys, mediators and arbitrators. These comprehensive trainings, which have been approved by the California State Bar Association for 35 hours of MCLE (continuing education) credit, cover issues of confidentiality, neutrality and ethics, the mediation of disputes in special subject areas, cultural differences and the problems associated with bias. Issues involved in developing a successful mediation practice are also covered. All participants will have the opportunity to participate in roleplays.
Click here for more details. If you have questions, you can send us a message using the “Contact Us” form at the bottom of any page or give us a call at 925-937-3008.
The Congress of Neutrals is seeking California State Bar approval for 35 hours of general MCLE credits, including 1 hour of Ethics, and 1 hour of Elimination of Bias, and approval is pending.
Mediation Mentoring Program
The goal of the Mediation Mentoring Program (MMP) is to provide practical mediation experience under the supervision of experienced mediators. In order to participate, each trainee must do the following:
- Complete the 40-hour mediation skills training (or equivalent)
- Complete the MMP Application and Pay Fees (Fee $600: $50 Non-refundable Application Deposit & Payment Balance of $550 upon approval).
Upon approval of the program director, the trainee is then assigned to an experienced mediation mentor who regularly handles small claims, unlawful detainers and civil harassment mediations in one of the branch locations of the Superior Court.
Click here for more details. If you have questions, you can send us a message using the “Contact Us” form at the bottom of any page or give us a call at 925-937-3008.
Plans for Giving?
Fundraising is an important part of our service mission as many of our activities and services depend on donations to provide direct service to litigants and to recruit and train the mediators and facilitators, which staff our programs.
Please consider donating to The Congress of Neutrals here. We are a 501C3 Organization and all donations are fully tax-deductible. (EIN#94-3400705)
Donating your time is another valuable way to give. We have many opportunities by becoming a mediator, trainer, program volunteer and more. Please email us at contact@congressofneutrals.org for more information of how to get involved.
Testimonials
Testimonial from a litigant who mediated:
“I just wanted to express my deepest gratitude for appointing a mediator to mediate our Unlawful Detainer case today. Please let her know my son and I are so thankful for her expertise in mediating our case. We didn’t know what to expect but only hoped for the best and got even greater than expected. We were so afraid of becoming homeless, and our mediator helped to put our hearts and minds at ease. And for that, we are ever so grateful. Please let your mediator know that we truly appreciate her, and the Congress of Neutrals for your service to the community, and for stepping in to help us at our most vulnerable times.”
“I was a litigant in an unlawful detainer case during the aftermath of Covid.
The situation was dire for my husband and I, and we also had children to consider.
We are good people, experiencing bad circumstances, and had no choice but to face the impending consequences honestly and determinedly.
We went to court expecting the worst; eviction and imminent lockout. With no place to go, little money to spare, the situation took a toll on us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.
The Congress of Neutrals’ Mediator was present in court during our appearance and had the opportunity to hear me speak about our situation. Our circumstance looked ideal for mediation, and upon agreement by both parties, we began the process.
We were able to negotiate a settlement agreement that was of the highest desired outcome for all parties involved. My husband and I met every requirement, and although we experienced continued hardship for sometime after, were able to get back on our feet and acquire a new home for our family.
The intercession of The Congress of Neutrals helped facilitate a far better outcome than one without the help The Congress of Neutrals
Through the diligent efforts of mediators with The Congress of Neutrals, I was inspired to assist those in my same circumstance. I subsequently took the Mediation training course through The Congress of Neutrals, and am now a Court Mediator assisting in the local courthouses in the expressed effort to help others who are seeking alternative means to resolving conflict and disputes.
I am humble, thankful, and grateful for the concerted effort of The Congress of Neutrals, an organization that is focused on people and resolution.”
Testimonial from an Unlawful Detainer Attorney
We are so fortunate here in Contra Costa to have the opportunity to work with such skilled mediators through the Congress of Neutrals; they are indispensable. I mediate every case. We get better results than we would if we negotiated directly with the opposing party because the mediators are there to explain things in a neutral manner, so neither party feels taken advantage of by the other, and it truly feels like a compromise. Everybody wins.