School of Law to Host Arkansas ADR Commission

The Arkansas Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission will meet with members of the UA Law School community and local judges and attorneys at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in room 339 in the Leflar Law Center. 

Members of the commission will participate in a panel discussion and answer questions about the role of mediation in Arkansas.  Commissioner Robert Moberly is also a University of Arkansas School of Law professor.  He said this is the first time the full commission has met in northwest Arkansas.

The ADR Commission, an organ of the Arkansas Supreme Court, administers the court-sponsored mediation program established by the legislature in 1995. Courts have authority to require mediation before trial, and the commission is charged with establishing rules for such mediation, Moberly said.

The commission has established standards for mediator certification, training programs and professional conduct including disciplinary procedures. It also is directed to promote alternative dispute resolution and to provide education to the courts, government agencies and the general public.

In addition to Moberly, the ADR Commission is comprised of six other volunteer members who are experienced in alternative dispute resolution: Chairman Sid McCollum, former Circuit Judge in Benton County; Tim Boe, Rose Law Firm; Ken Gallant, UALR William H. Bowen School of Law professor; Robert Hornberger, Fort Smith; Ed Nelson, North Little Rock and Kathy Searcy, general counsel for Bank of the Ozarks.