The Commisson's enabling legislation, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-38.2, charges it with certifying the mediators who conduct mediated settlement conferences in North Carolina's courts. Mediators certified by the Commission serve the following programs:
- The Mediated Settlement Conference (MSC) Program which operates in superior court;
- The Family Financial Settlement (FFS) Program which operates in district court:
- The Clerk Mediation Program: and
- The District Criminal Court Mediation Program.
With the exception of the FFS Program, all mediators serving the above court programs must be certified. FFS mediators who are not certified are eligible to serve the FFS Program upon party selection, but are not eligible to receive court appointments. Program specific certification information is posted on this website under the "Apply for Mediator Certification" heading. Both attorneys and non-attorney applicants are eligible to be certified provided that they meet threshold criteria and complete all the steps involved in the certification process.
The Commission invites anyone interested in mediator certification to spend some time exploring this web site or to contact Commission staff to discuss his/her interest and qualifications. The Commission cautions anyone planning to enroll in mediator training for the purpose of applying for certification to first read and study the certification requirements for the program they wish to serve. Those who still have questions about eligibility after reviewing the requirements, should contact Commission staff and discuss the matter or request a written pre-approval of certification eligibility.