ADR Designation Application Requirements

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Designation Requirements

See the two tables below for a brief summary of the requirements to apply for the different professional designations. For a comprehensive explanation, please read the specific application forms for each designation.

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MEDIATION DESIGNATIONS:

Requirements	Qualified Mediator (Q.Med)	Chartered Mediator (C.Med)	Chartered Mediator-Arbitrator (C.Med-Arb)
Education	40 hours mediation training ¹⁰ approved by ADRIA or ADRIC AND 40 hours specialized training ¹¹ in dispute resolution or related field (Note: Completion of both ADRIA's Communications in ADR course and the National Introductory Mediation course fulfill the educational requirements for the Q.Med designation.)	80 hours of mediation theory and skills training from a program approved by the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) or acceptable to ADRIA Designations Committee AND 100 hours of training in dispute resolution or related field^¹	Completion of the education requirments of the C.Med and C.Arb Designations and currently hold both designations. AND Completion of 16 hours of the ADRIC Med-Arb training course (or an ADRIC Accredited Med-Arb course). (Must provide completion certificate of the course). 17
Experience	Conducted one of the three following options, or any combination of the three options: two actual mediations¹² two supervised mock mediations¹³ one of each above	Conducted at least 15 mediations² as the sole mediator or the mediation chairperson³ and all 15 of the mediations must have been fee paid⁴.	Completion of the practical experience requirements of the C.Med and C.Arb Designations. AND Having conducted at least 1 Med-Arbitration.
Skills Assessment	Not required but the Designations Committee may require a skills assessment upon review of your application.	Observation and approval of an applicant conducting a solo mediation, to occur within 12 months before the date of the application, through one or more of the following: Formal Mediation Skills Assessment⁵ Video recorded Actual Mediation⁶ Video recorded role-play Mediation⁷.	Completion of the skills requirements of the C.Med and C.Arb Designations.
Letters of Recommendation	Provide three Letters of Recommendation⁹ (one character / personal and two professional) of your services as a mediator.	Provide three Letters of Recommendation⁹(one character / personal and two professional) of your services as a mediator.	Not required.
Waiving Education Requirements	Applicants may submit experience and qualifications to Designations Committee for review. A skills assessment may be required.	Education requirements may be waived where the ADRIA Designations Committee determines applicant has satisfied or exceeded the Education Requirements above through proven skills, competency, and longevity in practice as recognized and recommended by peers⁸.	Completion of 16 hours of the ADRIC Med-Arb training course (or an ADRIC Accredited Med-Arb course) required. 17
Membership	Must be a Full member with ADRIA.	Must be a Full member with ADRIA.	Must be a Full member with ADRIA.
Continuing Education and Engagement (CEE)	Must acquire 20 points/year. If reporting every 3 years (contact ADRIC for form). Must accumulate 60 points for CEE in three years. AND complete three actual mediations, paid or unpaid, sole or co-mediated, within three years of designation being awarded.	Must acquire 33 points/year. If reporting every 3 years (contact ADRIC for form). Must accumulate 100 points for CEE in three years.	Must acquire 33 points/year. If reporting every 3 years (contact ADRIC for form). Must accumulate 100 points for CEE in three years. In addition to collecting the appropriate CEE points for their C.Med and C.Arb designations, every three years, Chartered Med-Arbitrators are required to take part in a refresher Med-Arb course or training (which may be online training and scenarios) practice, and conduct at least one Med-Arb, as per the Continuing Education and Engagement Program and submit a report along with the required certificates.
Insurance	Errors and Omissions insurance with a limit of at least $1 million aggregate or have checked the appropriate box for exemption of the requirement.	Errors and Omissions insurance with a limit of at least $1 million aggregate or have checked the appropriate box for exemption of the requirement.	Errors and Omissions insurance with a limit of at least $1 million aggregate or have checked the appropriate box for exemption of the requirement.
Application fee (Fees for skills assessments and supervised mock mediations are additional) Annual Designation fee	$200 plus GST See Designations Page	$200 plus GST (no fee for Feb & June 2021) See Designations Page	$200 plus GST (no fee for Feb & June 2021) See Designations Page

1 Dispute resolution generally, psychology of dispute resolution, negotiation, public consultation, mutual gains bargaining, communication, management consulting, conflict management or other related training that has been approved by ADRIA or ADRIC to meet the C.Med educational requirements.

2 A “mediation” is a discreet event contracted for by the parties. A situation where a person helps two subordinates resolve a conflict is not considered a mediation. However, if the full or part time duties of an applicant specifically include the conducting of structured mediations, these would count toward the C.Med. Where a person is conducting mediations with staff members who do not report to that person, these may count as mediations provided the person was specifically identified as an impartial mediator, and the mediation was structured and conducted as a mediation, not as an informal meeting to resolve a problem.

3 The applicant must clearly have been the lead mediator or chairperson, not simply a co-mediator.

4 A “paid” mediation” is a mediation where the mediator receives a salary, payment or reasonable honorarium specifically for mediation services. The amount received by the mediator is not subject to any specific minimum amount, provided it is a legitimate and reasonable amount in the context within which the mediation took place.

5 A Formal Mediation Skills Assessment with an assessor and role-players chosen from an ADRIA roster of approved assessors and roleplayers who hold C.Med designations. This assessment is conducted separately and apart from any classroom evaluation occurring as part of the students’ mediation training, either at ADRIA or another approved mediation program. There is a cost associated with this assessment. This assessment must be completed within 12 months of applying for a C.Med designation.

6 Video recorded actual mediation assessed by at least three assessors chosen from an ADRIA roster of approved assessors, at least two of whom hold a C.Med. designation. There is a cost associated with this assessment.

7 Video recorded roleplay mediation assessed by three assessors chosen from an ADRIA roster of approved assessors, all of whom hold a C.Med. designation. Role players are chosen from an ADRIA roster of approved role players, who hold a C.Med. designation. It is conducted separately and apart from any classroom evaluation occurring as part of the students’ mediation training either at ADRIA or another approved mediation program. There is a cost associated with this assessment.

8 Where the Designations Committee agrees by majority that the applicant has satisfied or exceeded the education requirement the educational requirement may be waived. The decision of the ADRIA Designations Committee must be supported by documented reasons for the recommendation.

9 Letters of Recommendation should speak to the candidates’ industrious abilities, accomplishments, seriousness of purpose and capacity as a mediator. Include any information that may not be readily apparent from education, skills assessments, test scores, transcripts or even in an interview. The letter should speak to the candidates’ character (integrity, ethics and leadership qualities). The referee must explain their connection to the candidate, including how long they have known the candidate. The letters can be from someone the candidate co-mediated with, colleagues who have seen their work, someone from a Roster Program, and others who could speak from their experience of seeing the candidate mediate.

10 Interest-based mediation process and skills, training that has been approved by ADRIA or ADRIC and meets the requirements of basic mediation training. For courses that have not received pre-approval from ADRIC or ADRIA, please contact the office for information on obtaining equivalency.

11 Courses in conflict resolution, negotiation, communication, advanced mediation, ethics in dispute resolution, multiparty negotiation strategies, how to start a mediation business, designing systems for conflict management in organizations, when and how to use mediation case development, influence of culture on conflict resolution approaches, and resolving difficult workplace issues. The courses must be approved by ADRIA or ADRIC and meet the requirements of specialized training. For courses that have not received pre-approval from ADRIC or ADRIA, please contact the office for information on obtaining equivalency.

12 Two Actual Mediations (live, with real parties, not a roleplay) paid or unpaid, and must provide a 300-500 word description of each mediation). If a co-mediation the applicant must clearly have been the lead mediator, not simply a co-mediator. While there is no hard and fast determination, criteria for being lead mediator in a co-mediation may include some of the following indicators: The applicant chaired the mediation; The applicant took a primary role is running the session; The applicant organized the process during the mediation by actively guiding the discussions, delegating time to the other mediator and/or the parties, and having primary voice during the session; It will be the responsibility of the applicant to describe and establish that they were the lead mediator in a co-mediation for it to count toward the required number of mediations. Please see application form for further details.

13 Two Supervised Mock Mediations (each with a different supervisor, chosen from an ADRIA roster of approved supervisors. One of the roster requirements is that the supervisor must be a C.Med.) The candidate must complete all stages/phases of the model in the mock (roleplay) mediation. There will be instructions for role players on how to role play to ensure the candidate has an opportunity to demonstrate skills. There will be a consistent set of standards that must be met for the candidate to be deemed competent. The Supervised Mock Mediation is conducted separately and apart from any classroom evaluation occurring as part of the students’ mediation training, either at ADRIA or another approved mediation program. There is a cost associated with this review. Please see application form for Supervised Practice Mediation review form.

17 The ADRIC Med-Arb training course or an ADRIC Accredited training course would cover Med-Arb agreements, other forms of combining mediation and arbitration, one-person and 2-person models (advantages and disadvantages), preserving Natural Justice, transitioning between mediation and arbitration, ethical issues in Med-Arb, Med-Arb awards, Med-Arb simulation, video-conference MedArb, post Med-Arb corrections, reviews and approvals.

ARBITRATION DESIGNATIONS:

Requirements	Qualified Arbitrator (Q.Arb)	Chartered Arbitrator (C.Arb)	Chartered Mediator-Arbitrator (C.Med-Arb)
Education	40 hours of arbitration and hearing procedure training approved by ADRIC or ADRIA AND successful completion of ADRIC's written open book Qualified Arbitrator exam or an exam which is part of a course approved by ADRIC or ADRIA no more than 10 years prior to application	40 hours of arbitration and hearing procedure training approved by ADRIC or ADRIA AND successful completion of ADRIC's written open book Chartered Arbitrator exam or an exam which is part of a course approved by ADRIC or ADRIA no more than 10 years prior to application	Completion of the education requirments of the C.Med and C.Arb Designations and currently hold both designations. AND Completion of 16 hours of the ADRIC Med-Arb training course (or an ADRIC Accredited Med-Arb course). (Must provide completion certificate of the course). 17
Experience	Not required.	Practiced at least two years as an Arbitrator and Chaired¹⁴ at least 10 arbitrations, all of which were fee-paid¹⁶ (or, if unpaid, demonstratively complex)	Completion of the practical experience requirements of the C.Med and C.Arb Designations. AND Having conducted at least 1 Med-Arbitration.
Skills Assessment	Not required.	Provide three redacted arbitration awards/decisions for review.	Completion of the skills requirements of the C.Med and C.Arb Designations.
Letters of Recommendation	Not required.	Provide three Letters of Recommendation¹⁵ (one character / personal and two professional) of your services as an arbitrator.	Not required.
Waiving Education Requirements	Not applicable.	Education requirements may be waived where the ADRIA Designations Committee determines applicant has satisfied or exceeded the Education Requirements above through proven skills, competency, and longevity in practice as recognized and recommended by peers⁸.	Completion of 16 hours of the ADRIC Med-Arb training course (or an ADRIC Accredited Med-Arb course) required. 17
Membership	Must be a Full member with ADRIA.	Must be a Full member with ADRIA.	Must be a Full member with ADRIA.
Continuing Education and Engagement (CEE)	Must acquire 20 points/year. If reporting every 3 years (contact ADRIC for form). Must accumulate 60 points for CEE in three years.	Must acquire 33 points/year. If reporting every 3 years (contact ADRIC for form). Must accumulate 100 points for CEE in three years.	Must acquire 33 points/year. If reporting every 3 years (contact ADRIC for form). Must accumulate 100 points for CEE in three years. In addition to collecting the appropriate CEE points for their C.Med and C.Arb designations, every three years, Chartered Med-Arbitrators are required to take part in a refresher Med-Arb course or training (which may be online training and scenarios) practice, and conduct at least one Med-Arb, as per the Continuing Education and Engagement Program and submit a report along with the required certificates.
Insurance	Errors and Omissions insurance with a limit of at least $1 million aggregate or have checked the appropriate box for exemption of the requirement.	Errors and Omissions insurance with a limit of at least $1 million aggregate or have checked the appropriate box for exemption of the requirement.	Errors and Omissions insurance with a limit of at least $1 million aggregate or have checked the appropriate box for exemption of the requirement.
Application fee (Fees for skills assessments and supervised mock mediations are additional) Annual Designation fee	$200 plus GST See Designations Page	$200 plus GST (no fee for Feb & June 2021) See Designations Page	$200 plus GST (no fee for Feb & June 2021) See Designations Page

14 The applicant must clearly have been the lead arbitrator or chairperson, not simply co-arbitrator.

15 Letters of Recommendation should speak to the candidates’ industrious abilities, accomplishments, seriousness of purpose and capacity as an arbitrator. The letter should speak to the candidates’ character (integrity, ethics and leadership qualities). The referee must explain their connection to the candidate, including how long they have known the candidate. The letters can be of a Party to an arbitration conducted by applicant, a Counsel in arbitration conducted by applicant, a Co-Arbitrator or others who could speak from their experience of seeing the candidate arbitrate.

16 A "paid" arbitration is an arbitration where the arbitrator receives a salary, payment or reasonable honorarium specifically for arbitration services. The amount received by the arbitrator is not subject to any specific minimum amount, provided it is a legitimate and reasonable amount in the context within which the arbitration took place. In exceptional circumstances described in writin by the Regional Committee, where any unpaid arbitrations are demostrably complex and involved, the Regional Committee may accept any or all of them as counting toward the total of 10 arbitrations required.

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SUMMARY: DESIGNATION APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS