Be Neutral June 2018
A publication of the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution

GODR 411: Answering Your Questions
Continuing Education Credits
What exactly counts as CE credit? Registered neutrals must complete three (3) continuing education (CE) hours per year. Credit is generally given for any training if it can be shown that there is "a nexus between the continuing education attended and enhancement of the neutral's knowledge, skills, abilities and/or professionalism as a neutral." CE credits earned for other professions including but not limited to law, medicine, social work, law enforcement, accounting, etc., may also count towards neutral registration renewal annual CE requirement. For your convenience, CE courses may be taken live or online. As a reminder, continuing education must be submitted with your registration renewal application, due annually by December 31. The 2018 renewal period will open on October 1. If there is any question as to whether credit may be received for a particular course, please call the GODR Office at 404-463-3808 or email us at gcr.neutrals@georgiacourts.gov.
Mediation Confidentiality & Subponeas
What should you do if you receive a subpoena? Much like the Las Vegas slogan - What happens in Mediation should stay in Mediation. However, there are times when parties or attorneys may subpoena you to testify. The Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution is happy to provide you with support and a motion to quash packet, if needed.
Questions? Contact GODR at 404-463-3808 or gaodr@georgiacourts.gov
Is Your Contact Information Visible?
Updating Privacy Settings
How do you solicit work as a mediator? A good start is making sure your privacy settings are updated and your contact information is current on your account in the Georgia Courts Registrar. Being registered means a free listing on the public directory. However, only the contact information you choose to share is published. To make changes to your privacy settings, log into your account, click on "My Privacy Settings" in the left menu bar, then save changes. For assistance, please call us at 404-463-3808 or email at gcr.neutrals@georgiacourts.gov. You can see how others view your information by searching the public directory here.
Please note that the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution will never share your information with third parties.

ADR Program Updates
Fulton and DeKalb County ADR Programs
Former Fulton County ADR Program Director Jerry Wood has retired, effective May 1, and Lawrence (Larry) Harton has been announced as his successor. Larry brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience- both in mediating cases and in his years overseeing the DeKalb County Courts Dispute Resolution Center as its director. Please join us in wishing both Mr. Wood and Mr. Harton good luck in their future endeavors!
Atlantic Judicial Circuit ADR Program
Georgia's own Atlantic Judicial Circuit ADR Program (in South Georgia) successfully facilitated settlement of a high-profile case involving USA Gymnastics- the national governing body for Olympic gymnastics. Coverage of the case has been recently highlighted in the Daily Report, a cornerstone publication among the legal community. Congratulations to the Program for showcasing the efficacy of skilled mediators in such a contentious dispute and garnering widespread recognition! See A Mediation 'Dismount' below for more information, including the full article from Daily Report.
The Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution is now on LinkedIn!
We want to connect with you! For updated news and announcements, follow our page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia - office - of- dispute- resolution
Did you know?
Live shrimp can be found in rainwater collections at the apex of Stone Mountain, which reaches 1683 feet above sea level.
You can obtain CE credits for FREE by watching videos posted on the GODR website.
You can view and request job postings for ADR careers on the GODR website.
All advisory and ethics opinions can be viewed on our GODR website.
Important Information Regarding Changes to the Child Support Guidelines
by Patricia K. Buonodono, JD, CWLS
The Child Support Commission's 2018 legislation (originally HB 654, passed as SB 427) served to correct the statute on multiple worksheets, making the use of multiple worksheets permissive rather than mandatory, and limited to the circumstance of a child no longer being eligible to receive support within two years of the initial order. Read More
A Mediation 'Dismount'
How the 'Ground Zero' Case Against USA Gymnastics Finally Ended in Georgia by Katheryn Tucker, Daily Report
Following an unusual series of pretrial developments, a confidential settlement was reached through a mediation coordinated by the Atlantic Judicial Circuit ADR Program in a South Georgia lawsuit filed by Jane Doe against the Indianapolis-based national governing body for the Olympic gymnasticsUSA Gymnastics- and an ex-coach.
Article reprinted with permission of Daily Report. Read full article here or visit Daily Report online

Calendar of Events
July 4 - State Holiday August 22 - Commission on Dispute Resolution Meeting, State Bar of Georgia October 3-5 - ACR Annual Conference, Pittsburgh December 7 - 25th ADR Institute, State Bar of Georgia
Ongoing CE Opportunities are listed on our webpage.
Got News?
We want to hear from you. Please send any news items for future newsletters to GODR.

Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution 404-656-3808
"Providing for the Speedy, Efficient, and Inexpensive Resolution of Disputes and Prosecutions."

Contact Us

Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, 244 Washington Street, SW, Ste. 300, Atlanta, GA 30334