AboutTimmy Chou Expertise I am a experienced Mediator and a partner in a management consulting firm. As a mediator I work as a third-party neutral and specialize in partnership/shareholder disputes, management/labor issues, company culture difficulties, and family-owned business problems. I can help describe why alternative dispute resolution may be a good choice for you. As an experienced management consultant I may be able to offer creative ideas to help resolve your organizational and business problems and disputes. "If you say conflict, I say opportunity".
Question I have been reviewing arbitration/mediation as a possible career change. I am in Texas no legal back B.A. in Organizational Management, my entire work life (over 30 yrs.) has been in a societal "helping" environment with many years in management. While exploring I have consistently found the statement "it is difficult to identify salary ranges." Is there a site that you could refer me to, to find more about salaries for arbitrators or mediators as well as the current demand for this career choice. Thank you in advance. d
Answer Thank you for your question.
Mediators are trained in specialized facilitation skills and work to bring disputing parties together to work out solutions. They specifically do not advocate any position or try to persuade parties to do one thing or another, but they typically will work to identify the core issues underlying disputes and try to craft creative solutions.
The ADR profession is still really in its infancy and very little professional structure exists for practitioners in many states. Virtually anyone may provide services as a mediator. However, licensure is offered in many states, some with training requirements and others merely requiring the oversight of another licensed mediator for a time. Interestingly, few states will forbid you to offer services if you are not state licensed. For example, a sample of the Virginia mediation code and rules is available here:
My experience is that effective mediators have taken advantage of some specific training because the role of a neutral facilitator is quite different. Lawyers and therapists may have to retool their natural professional approach and behave in some counter-intuitive ways. Quite a range of training is offered from Master's degrees to specific certificate training (such as ADR in health care settings, for example).
Seminars on ADR are likely offered through law schools or through local court systems in your location. Be sure to check out the ABA site.
The truth is that it is very difficult to "start out" as a mediator or arbitrator. Virtually anyone who gets into the field permanently as a career has come from some other field and is able to rely on related expertise. Typically professors, attorneys, people with state department experience, therapists, and consultants have the credibility and financial resources to make a career viable, but almost all of us begin mediation work relying on income from our primary expertise. Typically a new mediator gets trained and begins a practice by getting on the state list. However, there are usually dozens of more experienced people on the list and you have to just sit there and see what happens. Other than the yellow pages, it is not usually cost-effective to advertise (except divorce mediation). My primary cases come by referrals from colleagues or lawyers that know my work over the years and trust me. Rates are about $150/hour. Only about 1 out of 5 referrals actually become cases I hear and bill out -- as I typically spend time qualifying the parties individually on the phone before agreeing to mediate the case.
I can tell you that mediation is by far some of the most rewarding work I do and it makes a big difference in people's lives. It has never been, however, a source of significant income. The big money in mediation is in teaching, or in areas like environmental mediation, peacemaking (diplomacy), health care, insurance, human resource, or other large institutional or governmental settings. This usually is just another job -- but at least rewarding if successful.
Some career paths are emerging in some states through local government and court systems. These jobs are typically around court-ordered mediation for divorces, smaller business disputes, and often around victim-offender mediation. They are usually staff level jobs that do not pay tremendous salaries. Some states and private foundations sponsor and fund quasi-governmental mediation "centers" in a non-profit model. These are few and far between.
If you are committed to this career path, I would encourage you to spend alot of time up-front in as many training venues as possible. Numerous groups sponsor seminars and certificate programs in everything from health care to military mediation. If you put a serious oar in the water and jump out there full-speed, you can make things happen, but it will take time.
