During a recent informational conference in the CADRe office I shared the latest figures on how the CADRe program is performing with a local attorney. He thought these numbers were worthy of printing in the Santa Barbara Lawyer, so here they are:

The CADRe program began accepting cases on July 12, 1999. As of December 1, 2000, a total of 454 cases were referred to CADRe from the South County judges, with 233 cases opting-into the program.

Nine of these cases selected Early Neutral Evaluation, with 5 of these cases ending in resolution.

One case opted for Binding Arbitration, though the case eventually settled prior to any further ADR proceedings.

One case elected to use a Special Master, though the parties subsequently took the case to mediation, which ended in agreement.

118 cases opted for Limited Mediation, available where the amount in controversy does not exceed $50,000.00 and CADRe assigns a mediator to the case at no cost to the parties. As of December 1 a total of 82 of these mediations had been completed, with 45 of these ending in agreement, for a respectable 54.87% agreement rate. Keep in mind that this figure doesn't include an additional 18 cases that settled prior to the scheduled mediation. Of the 37 mediations that ended in non- agreement, 11 of the cases settled within 60 days after the mediation.

104 cases opted for CADRe Mediation, where the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000.00, the parties select their mediator and pay the mediator's market rate. As of December 1 a total of 84 of these mediations have been completed, with 58 of these ending in agreement, for an impressive 69.04% agreement rate. An additional 5 cases settled prior to the scheduled mediation. Of the 26 mediations that ended in non-agreement, 4 of the cases settled within 60 days after the mediation.

How is the program performing in North County? While the overall number of cases coming into the program is lower, both the opt-in and the resolution rates are a little higher:

As of December 1, 2000, a total of 164 cases have been referred to CADRe from the North County Judges, with 120 of these cases opting-into the program.

61 of these cases opted for Limited Mediation. 37 of these mediations were completed to December 1, with 21 ending in agreement, for a 56.75% agreement rate. 7 cases settled prior to the scheduled mediation. Of the 15 non-agreements, 3 of the cases settled within 60 days after the mediation.

59 of the cases opted for CADRe Mediation. 42 of these mediations were completed as of December 1, with 31 ending in agreement, for a 73.80% agreement rate. 3 cases settled prior to the scheduled mediation. Of the 8 mediations that ended in non- agreement, 3 of the cases settled within 60 days of the mediation.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions on how this office can better serve your needs. You can call me at 568-3124, or reach me by e-mail at cprofio@sbcourts.org.

Chris Profio
CADRe Director