Part 146 Trainer Information

Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge requires mediators who wish to serve on court rosters must have taken at least 40 hours of mediation training and must have recent experience mediating actual cases. Part 146.6 requires that the Unified Court System's ADR Office develop appropriate criteria for the approval of training programs. 
 

Diversity and Training

Part 146 for Mediation Trainers

Part 146 for Apprenticeship Providers

Part 146 for Continuing Education Providers

 Diversity and Training  

The New York State Unified Court System (NYS UCS) serves a wide variety of litigants, including persons of varying age, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, religion, socioeconomic and family status. The Court recognizes that trainers and neutrals with a wide variety of cultural and life experiences enrich the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process by bringing diverse perspectives to resolving disputes. It is therefore important that the NYS UCS’s ADR Programs attract and retain trainers and neutrals who represent a broad range of personal and professional backgrounds to better serve and instill confidence in participants in the alternative dispute resolution process. To that end, qualified applicants of all backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply for admission to NYS UCS ADR Programs. 

We encourage trainers to join us this goal in any of the following ways: 

•  Have a diverse training team 
•  Dedicate training time to the issue of diversity 
•  Ensure diversity among training participants 

 Part 146 Snapshot for Mediation Training Providers

Curriculum Guidelines – Trainers seeking approval under Part 146 must submit as part of their application a training agenda that adheres to the Mediation Training Curriculum Guidelines.

Supplemental Training – Certain case types require additional training to ensure that neutrals are properly equipped to serve the parties. This supplemental training may sometimes be offered by private training providers. 

Application process – The ADR Office welcomes complete applications on a rolling basis. To ensure the UCS ADR Office has time to review the application materials, applications must be received by the UCS ADR Office at least 60 days before the date of the scheduled training. 

A complete application requires the submission of a timed training agenda, which should be clearly formatted and contain the required information outlined in the Mediation Training Curriculum Guidelines, including: Topic/Subject, Training Methodology, Objective, and the specific training topic (of those listed in the Mediation Training Curriculum Guidelines) the lesson/part is designed to fulfill (if applicable).  Please consult our sample agenda.

Access our online application

Duration of approval – Once a course has been approved it will remain approved for five years starting from the date the UCS ADR Office approved the course. The date the course expires under Part 146 will appear on the written approval letter. The course will be featured on the Part 146 Approved Course List

Advertising 

All Courses: For all Part 146 courses (pending and approved), advertising notices must convey the following: 

•  Final placement on any court roster is at the discretion of the local Administrative Judge; 
•  Participation in a course does not guarantee placement on a local court roster; 
•  Some courts may require additional training and experience beyond Part 146’s requirements; ;
•  Acceptance on court rosters may depend on a court’s need for mediators at any given time and may include a particular court’s need for mediators with specific case-type training or experience.  

Approved Courses: If you are a mediation trainer or sponsoring organization, and you apply for and receive written approval from the UCS ADR Office, you may advertise that your course is approved under Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge. You may also have your training listed in our training calendar. To do so, please send details of your training to Part146@nycourts.gov.  

Adding new trainers – If your course has been approved but another trainer will present it in an upcoming training, you must resubmit the agenda and the application with the new trainer’s information and include the new trainer’s resume. If a non-approved trainer presents the course, the course will not qualify as Part 146-approved. 

Online Training – Courses must adhere to the Part 146 Online Mediation Training Guidelines.

Law School/CDRC providersThese guidelines apply to law school/graduate school mediation clinics and CDRC trainers. 

Reapproval – All trainings must be reapproved every 5 years to maintain their status as a Part 146 Approved Training. The five-year approval applies to the course if offered by the same trainer(s).  When you reapply at the expiration of the approval period, please either indicate that the information remains the same from when the course was originally approved or, if the course and/or trainers have changed, resubmit an application, current resumes or bios, and a detailed training agenda.  

 Part 146 Snapshot for Apprenticeship Providers  

Apprenticeship guidelines – An apprenticeship is an organized program where trained mediators are given the opportunity to gain practical mediation experience serving as apprentices under the supervision of at least one mentor. These guidelines outline the minimum requirements for apprenticeship programs approved under Part 146. 

Application process – OADR welcomes complete applications on a rolling basis. Applications must be received by the UCS ADR Office at least 60 days before the date of the scheduled training. 

Apprentice expectations – OADR provides guidance on what to expect from an apprenticeship program.  

 Part 146 Snapshot for Continuing Education Providers

Requirements under Part 146 – Pursuant to Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge, all neutrals must attend at least six hours of additional approved training relevant to their respective practice areas every two years. In deciding whether to re-designate neutrals to rosters, District Administrative Judges or the judges’ designees, must determine whether each neutral has complied with section 146.5 Continuing Education for Neutrals

All ADR neutrals who serve in the court, include those approved under Part 146, must complete at least two (2) hours of anti-bias training every two years. Please see our Anti-Bias Training Guidelines for more information. 

Special Requirements for Family Court and Matrimonial Mediators – All roster mediators who mediate family or matrimonial matters for the court under Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge (22 NYCRR § 146) are required to take at least two (2) hours of continuing education (CE) on Intimate Partner Violence every two years. These CE hours may be applied towards the CE requirement prescribed by Part 146.5.  

As outlined in Administrative Order 119a/22, CE on IPV may be offered by the Office of Court Administration’s Statewide ADR Office, legal services organizations, community dispute resolution centers, professional dispute resolution associations, domestic violence advocacy groups, or similar providers. 

Continuing education guidelines – Providers are encouraged to reference the Continuing ADR Education Guidelines when developing a course for continuing mediator education. The ADR Office does not approve courses or activities for CE nor does it audit neutrals for compliance with CE requirements. The guidelines are intended to assist providers when developing CE courses and activities and to help neutrals and the local administrative judge, or the administrative judge’s designee, determine whether a neutral’s CE requirements have been met.  

Continuing education and CLE – Continuing ADR education requirements under “Part 146” are different from mandatory continuing legal education “MCLE” (22 NYCRR 1500). 

Questions concerning Part 146 may be directed by e-mail to Part146@nycourts.gov or by telephone (877-Part-146).