Early Settlement Mediation Oklahoma Program

Virtual Meeting! The Early Settlement Directors’ met virtually recently to share program updates. FREE Mediation services are available to all 77 counties through the regional Early Settlement offices!

Municipal Judges Association! It was an honor to speak to a packed room of Municipal Judges about the statwide Dispute Resolution Program. I saw several friends, including Drew Nichols, Tyler Lowe, & several others.

Statewide Judicial Conference! Lauren Craig O'Brien, Associate State Director, and Phil Johnson, State Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution System set-up a table for the Early Settlement Mediation Programs at the Judicial Conference recently held at the NEW OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City.

Creating a more Peaceful Oklahoma! The Alternative Dispute Resolution System, based out of the Administrative Office of the Courts, is recognized nationally for its community-based, court-connected statewide Early Settlement Mediation program. All mediation services are offered FREE of charge!

There are 13-regionally based program centers statewide serving all 77-Oklahoma counties. Services include: small claims/landlord-tenant/other civil cases, real estate cases, family and divorce cases, adult guardianship cases, school IDEA cases, and child permanency cases. There were over 5,800 cases statewide referred to Early Settlement Mediation last year, with a 70% average settlement rate! The program utilizes community volunteer mediators who are trained and certified by the Administrative Director of the Courts.

More recently a Peer Resolutions for Oklahoma Students (PROS) program was added offering FREE statewide services to schools across Oklahoma. The program is designed to train young people in civility and addressing conflicts in a pro-active way! As the State Director for the Alternative Dispute Resolution System, I can truly say, “We’re doing Fine Oklahoma!” For more information visit our web site: adrs.oscn.net

Fun Times! The Early Settlement Directors team took a FUN pic at our recent volunteer conference. We had such a good time!

Program Site Visits! It’s always great to travel across Oklahoma to visit the regional Early Settlement Mediation programs. My travels took me to Tahlequah and Bartlesville this week. Pictured below are Julie Dicks & Julie Easley from the East program and Cayla Phelps & Ever Vidana from the Northeast program.

Making Oklahoma a More Peaceful State! I’m super excited that the Oklahoma Altenative Dispute Resolution Program is featured in the March, 2025 edition of the Oklahoma Bar Journal (beginning on page 41). The Early Settlement Mediation program is recognized nationally as being one of the top court-connected community-based mediation programs in the nation and the services are offered FREE of charge! For more information check out our web page: adrs.oscn.net

Early Settlement Mediation: Making Oklahoma a more Peaceful State!

https://www.okbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/March-2025.pdf

Chief Justice Dustin P. Rowe! Members of the Dispute Resolution Advisory Board had the opportunity to listen to the new Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court talk to them recently. Justice Rowe has been a long time supporter of the Early Settlement Mediation program, which is recognized as one of the top community-based court-connected conflict resolution programs in the nation.

Got a CONFLICT? Reach out to your regional Early Settlement Mediation program office for help. Oklahoma is recognized as having one of the fastest growing conflict resolution programs in the nation! If the conflict is a neighbor dispute, landlord-tenant, real estate, or family dispute Early Settlement Mediation offers FREE mediation services, as well as other types of disputes. Check us out on the web: adrs.oscn.net

Early Settlement Mediation: Making Oklahoma a More Peaceful State! It’s always a pleasure to share good news, and the Early Settlement Mediation program is is beyond good news, it’s great news. Phil Johnson, State Director, had the opportunity to be interviewed recently by former OKC Mayor Mick Cornett, host of the TV news show “The Verdict”, to give an overview about the FREE conflict resolution services offered by the statewide Early Settlement Mediation program. For more information about the services we offer or if interested in becoming a volunteer mediator visit our web page: adrs.oscn.net

The Verdict This is "The Verdict" by Oklahoma State Courts Network on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.