The Superior Court’s CADRe program has completed the first phase of development on its groundbreaking new web site at www.SBCADRe.org. The first of its kind in the nation, the CADRe site will offer a viewing of the neutral’s fees, resumes, and biographical information, as well as court forms, links to many helpful related sites, and basic information about the CADRe program and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in general. The site will also be a useful client education tool.

CADRe’s goal is to offer the highest possible level of service to the legal community. Perhaps the site’s most important feature is the ability it gives attorneys to research a neutral’s qualifications and match the most appropriate neutral to each case. Because the CADRe site resides on the World Wide Web, it can be accessed from any computer modem. The site, designed by Santa Barbara’s own Vince Falcone of RES Communications, is easy to navigate. Every page on the site has a header allowing the user to link to any other section of the site.

Select a Neutral

Perhaps the most important step in determining the success of an ADR process is selecting a neutral. It is especially important for counsel to know about the background, training and experience of a mediator or arbitrator in order to decide between the many neutrals on the panels.

Clicking on "Select a Neutral" allows you to view the entire panel list of Binding Arbitrators, CADRe Mediators, Neutral Evaluators or Special Masters. For example, on the CADRe Mediation panel for cases over $50,000, there are mediators available from $75 per hour up to $4,500 per day. Selecting the mediator’s name, links you to the panelist’s personal information page that lists the neutral’s contact information, fees, qualifications, experience, and areas of specialization. The panelist’s biography, resume or C.V. follows this information page.

Client Education Tool

The CADRe site is loaded with useful information. When trying to describe to a client the difference between mediation, neutral evaluation and a settlement conference, or between judicial and binding arbitration, the CADRe site can serve as a resource where your clients can read about the different processes. Also on-line are the Local Court Rule 1102 governing the CADRe process, and California Rules of Court, Rule 1634 describing who must attend a court mediation. The site also contains instructions for completing the various CADRe paperwork, and step-by-step instructions for proceeding through the process.

Download Forms

Another benefit of the site is the ability to download forms. All CADRe-related court forms will be available in a PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required in order to read or print these forms. Acrobat Reader is available for free on the web, and conveniently accessed directly from the CADRe site. A link to the site is available on the CADRe site. By bringing the forms onto your computer in Acrobat Reader, you can print originals from your printer, saving unnecessary trips to the courthouse. CADRe forms available on the site include the Case Management Conference Memorandum, Stipulation and Order to CADRe process, Post-Mediation Evaluation and Post- Arbitration Evaluation.

E-mail Forms

Those of you who are really daring can actually download the forms, complete them on your computer, and email them back to the CADRe office at CADRE@SBCADRe.org, all directly from the CADRe site. The CADRe office will file the forms for you with the court clerks. Of course, most CADRe forms can still be downloaded, printed out, filled out and faxed to our office at 568-3144.

Statistical Info on Neutrals

In the second phase of development, the site will offer a search engine allowing counsel to search for a neutral based on a number of criteria, including the satisfaction and resolution rates of each neutral or by particular types of cases. This is why your feedback surveys are so important. As soon as a substantial sampling of case data is assembled, the CADRe office will compile and list on the CADRe site statistical information on the most successful neutrals based upon feedback gathered from the users. This feature will allow counsel to select neutrals based on empirical and experiential data.

In short, the CADRe web site is one more way the Court hopes to make our CADRe Program as helpful and accessible as possible. Please have a look at the site and feel free to share your feedback and suggestions with us. After all, it is there for you!