Small Claims, Unlawful Detainer, Limited Civil, Civil Harassment
Through the Dispute Resolution Program Act (DRPA), the Court works with county-funded agencies, including the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer & Business Affairs (DCBA) and the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR), to provide voluntary day-of-hearing mediation services for small claims, unlawful detainer, limited civil, and civil harassment matters. DCBA and CCR staff and trained volunteers serve as mediators, primarily for self-represented litigants. There is no charge to litigants.
Learn more about Los Angeles County Dispute Resolution Programs here.
Small Claims, Unlawful Detainer
Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) is a free online service provided by the Court to help small claims and unlawful detainer litigants explore settlement options before the hearing date without having to come to court. ODR guides parties through a step-by-step program. After both sides register for ODR, they may request assistance from trained mediators to help them reach a customized agreement. The program creates settlement agreements in the proper form and sends them to the Court for processing. Parties in small claims and unlawful detainer cases must carefully review the notices and other information they receive about ODR requirements that may apply to their case.
Learn more about Online Dispute Resolution here.
Unlawful Detainer
Temporary judges who have been trained as settlement officers are deployed by the Court to four unlawful detainer court locations on a designated day each week to facilitate settlement of unlawful detainer cases on the day of trial. For this program, cases may be ordered to participate in a Mandatory Settlement Conference (MSC) by judicial officers at Stanley Mosk, Long Beach, Compton, or Santa Monica. Settlement rooms and forms are available for use on the designated day at each courthouse location. There is no charge to litigants for the MSC.
Learn more about the Temporary Judge Program here.
Unlimited Civil
Unlimited civil cases referred by judicial officers to the Court's Mediation Volunteer Panel (MVP) are eligible for three hours of virtual mediation at no cost with a qualified mediator from the MVP. Through this program, mediators volunteer preparation time and three hours of mediation at no charge. If the parties agree to continue the mediation after three hours, the mediator may charge their market hourly rate. When a case is referred to the MVP, the Court's ADR Office will provide information and instructions to the parties. The Notice directs parties to meet and confer to select a mediator from the MVP or they may request that the ADR Office assign them a mediator. The assigned MVP mediator will coordinate the mediation with the parties.
For more information or to view MVP mediator profiles, visit the Court's Mediation Volunteer Panel webpage or email ADRCivil@lacourt.org
Unlimited Civil
Litigants may use the Civil Mediation Vendor Resource List to arrange voluntary mediations without Court referral or involvement. The Resource List includes organizations that have been selected through a formal process that have agreed to provide a limited number of low-cost or no-cost mediation sessions with attorney mediators or retired judges. Organizations may accept or decline cases at their discretion. Mediations are scheduled directly with these organizations and are most often conducted through videoconferencing. The organizations on the Resource List target active civil cases valued between $50,000-$250,000, though cases outside this range may be considered.
Learn more and view the list of vendors and their contact information by downloading the Resource List Flyer and FAQ Sheet
DISCLAIMER: The Court provides this list as a public service. The Court does not endorse, recommend, or make any warranty as to the qualifications or competency of any provider on this list. Inclusion on this list is based on the representations of the provider. The Court assumes no responsibility or liability of any kind for any act or omission of any provider on this list.
Unlimited Civil
Resolve Law LA (RLLA) provides three-hour virtual Mandatory Settlement Conferences at no cost for personal injury and non-complex employment cases. Cases must be ordered into the program by a judge pursuant to applicable Standing Orders issued by the Court and must complete the program's online registration process. The program leverages the talent of attorney mediators with at least 10 years of litigation experience who volunteer as settlement officers. Each MSC includes two settlement officers, one each from the plaintiff and defense bars. RLLA is a joint effort of the Court, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County (CAALA), Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC), Los Angeles Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (LA-ABOTA), Beverly Hills Bar Foundation (BHBF), California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), and Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA).
If your case has been ordered to RLLA, please visit Resolve Law LA.
Unlimited Civil
The Court may refer unlimited civil cases from participating districts to mediation through a formal contract with the Mediation Center of Los Angeles (MCLA), a nonprofit organization that manages a panel of highly-qualified mediators. Cases must be referred to the program by a judicial officer. The Court's ADR Office will provide the parties with information for submitting the case intake form for this program. MCLA will assign a mediator based on the type of case presented and the availability of the mediator to complete the mediation in an appropriate time frame. MCLA has a designated fee schedule for this program.
If your case has been referred to the MCLA Referral Program, please contact the Court's ADR Office at ADRCivil@lacourt.org
Family Law
Experienced family law attorneys serve as Daily Settlement Officers (DSOs) and provide voluntary settlement conferences for parties who appear in family law matters in-person or through a virtual platform at no charge. Judicial officers identify and refer appropriate cases to DSOs to assist parties in reaching agreements on support issues, property issues, attorneys' fees and costs, discovery, financial issues that involve child custody, or case management issues. The DSO also can help litigants and their counsel be prepared to efficiently proceed with their hearing or trial when they appear before the Court by enabling parties and counsel to "meet and confer" about case management and discovery issues that may or may not be at issue on the day of referral. This is a volunteer-based program provided by the Los Angeles County Bar Association and other local bar associations.
If you are seeking information about mandatory child custody mediation, please visit the Court's Family Court Services webpage
Probate
The Pro Bono Probate Settlement Program provides parties with an opportunity to resolve cases in matters of probate, trust, estates, guardianship, or conservatorship. Attorneys who are experienced practitioners in Probate Court matters serve as volunteer settlement officers through the San Fernando Valley Bar Association. Program participation is by court referral only and may be requested by one or more of the parties. Settlement conferences are held virtually and there is no charge to the litigants.
Learn more about the Pro Bono Settlement Program here.
