AAA Mediation.org® & MC3 Collaborate on Broad ADR Initiative to Strengthen Mediator Certification & Education

MC3-Certified Mediators Will Qualify for the AAA Mediation.org Affiliates Panel; American Arbitration Association Becomes Educational Partner for MC3

NEW YORK, April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Arbitration Association^® (AAA^®) announces that its AAA Mediation.org division has entered a collaboration agreement with MC3, a nonprofit organization providing a robust certification standard for mediators.

MC3, established in 2019, sets education, training, mediation experience, and continuing education requirements for mediators to obtain and retain their MC3 certification. These criteria and services are designed to ensure the public can be confident that mediators certified by MC3 are familiar with legal/litigation terminology and courtroom procedures, and also adhere to the ethics guiding mediation practice and policy. To learn more, please visit https://www.mc3certified.org/applicants.

As part of the collaboration agreement between AAA Mediation.org and MC3:

• MC3-Certified Mediators will qualify for the AAA Mediation.org Affiliates Program, which includes a variety of tools and opportunities to help mediators build their practices. Affiliates Program membership elevates and differentiates mediator listings in the AAA Mediation.org searchable database.
• AAA will become an educational partner to MC3, providing programs for initial certification training and additional educational offerings that will meet the standard for MC3's continuing education requirements.
• AAA and MC3 will jointly educate practitioners, disputants, and attorneys throughout the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) field about the benefits that can be derived from working with both organizations.
• MC3-Certified Mediators will receive a 10% discount on continuing education programs provided by AAA Mediation.org, and all AAA Panelists will receive a 10% rebate on the cost of MC3's initial certification.

"MC3 has worked to establish a standard for mediator practice and certification which can serve as a model throughout the industry," said Harold Coleman, Jr., Esq., Senior Vice President and Executive Director for AAA Mediation.org. "We are impressed with the rigorous work and effort that have gone into developing MC3's Mediator Certification requirements, and we are pleased to be able to help mediators adopt this standard for themselves and their practices."

AAA Mediation.org provides a searchable database of highly skilled and qualified mediators with expertise in diverse fields, mediation case management and mediation case-management tools, and online dispute resolution. Practicing mediators can also publish their résumés in AAA Mediation.org's searchable online mediator database alongside those of AAA Panel mediators—and can also access practice tips and tools, professional development resources, and education and training opportunities. To learn more, please visit https://www.aaamediation.org/.

"The AAA stands at the top of our profession, and is considered the preeminent provider of mediation and arbitration services," said Dr. Jack R. Goetz, Esq., Founder and President of MC3. "We are honored that this organization recognizes the value that MC3-Certified Mediators can bring as members of the AAA Mediation.org Affiliates Program."

About the American Arbitration Association

The not-for-profit American Arbitration Association^® (AAA^®) is the leading provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services for parties in commercial disputes, having administered more than seven million ADR cases since its founding in 1926. With 29 offices in the United States, in addition to Singapore, the AAA provides organizations of all sizes in virtually every industry with ADR services and products. For more information, visit www.adr.org.

About MC3

MC3 is nonprofit-organized to ensure user and public confidence in the mediation process by setting standards for mediator training, education, and ethics, and by maintaining those standards through its certification program. MC3 has set a higher standard of review than other credentialing agencies in mediator education, including an ongoing requirement for continuing education as well as a requirement that MC3-Certified Mediators have a basic understanding and familiarity with legal/litigation terminology and general courtroom procedures, as well as an understanding of the ethics that guide mediation practice and policy. All MC3-Certified Mediators have agreed to a Quality Assurance program that provides disputants with an opportunity to address any ethical concerns that may have arisen during the course of a mediation. MC3-Certified Mediators are currently serving in California, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia. To learn more about MC3, visit the MC3 website at www.mc3certified.org.

SOURCE American Arbitration Association