When you have enough of the neighbor's dog urinating in your yard, or cannot collect for services rendered, or obtain property loaned, you may file a claim in District Court, or you may resolve your dispute without litigation.The District Courts in the State of Maryland have an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program. ADR is the process of resolving a dispute without litigation. Mediation, a form of ADR, is a confidential, voluntary process in which people who have a dispute or claim against one another work with one or more neutral third parties called mediators. Remember, when you choose litigation, your claim will be heard in an open courtroom. Anyone can listen. In mediation, only the parties to the dispute and the mediator are present.
If you have a claim in one of the District Courts in the State of Maryland, you can work with a mediator free of charge. A mediator assists the parties resolve the claim, but does not provide legal advice.
To find out whether there will be a mediator available when your case is scheduled, click on the following link to see the District Court's calendar for day of trial mediation, or contact 410-260-1676.
Parties who make settlements in mediation are more likely to comply with the terms of the settlement, compared with compliance rates in court ordered settlements.
Furthermore, if the parties are unable to resolve the claim in mediation, they still have the opportunity to have their dispute heard by a judge who will decide the outcome of the claim.
Additionally, if you have a dispute and have not filed a claim in District Court, you can obtain mediation services free and/or on a sliding scale at a community mediation center.
For more information about Community Mediation Maryland centers, visit their website or contact 410-553-0206.
