New York courts refer many divorce matters to local mediation centers. This provides the opportunity for qualified individuals to get work as a New York divorce mediator and help resolve disputes over child custody and other important family matters.
In the state of New York, there is a Unified Court System that provides community dispute resolution centers (CDRC). The courts refer many cases each year to these centers for mediation. New York divorce mediators, like other types of mediators in this state, must have a certain amount of training. These centers also provide some New York mediation training. Contact them individually to find out more about the process of getting accepted for training purposes.
The rules for getting into mediation differ from county to county or type of mediation. But the process is similar in most cases. There is an initial period of mediation training, advanced training (this might be with the CDRC), and then an apprenticeship with an existing CDRC New York divorce or other mediator. For example, a total of 42 hours of training is required to work as a mediator for issues of child custody, visitation, and support.
Mediators typically have a law degree and some work in litigation. Although that is not required, it is always helpful in getting your foot in the door. Still other mediators may have an advanced degree in social work and some experience counseling families and children.
There are also other ways to become a divorce mediator in New York. Some counties do not have a community dispute resolution center. In that case, parties still sometimes go to a local mediator to try to settle their divorce cases. There are many private mediation firms in the state where you may get employed as a mediation expert.
To improve your chances of getting work as a mediator, try to folllow the same path. Getting a law degree is beneficial, and getting an LLM in mediation or alternative dispute resolution would be great from an educational standpoint. As stated above, an advanced degree in social work is another possible route to getting work in divorce mediation in New York. You should also take the same mediation training course required of neutrals who work with the community dispute resolution centers. In fact, just getting on the roster of mediators for one of these centers first will improve your chances of work as a New York divorce mediator with a private firm.
State of New York Unified Court System: Court-Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution in New York