The Michigan Judicial Institute, in collaboration with the Friend of the Court Bureau, will present the “Friend of the Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Training Webinar” August 22-26 and August 29 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. via Zoom.
MCR 3.224 provides that the State Court Administrative Office will establish training and qualification requirements for persons conducting each type of alternative dispute resolution activity.
Upon completion, this virtual 20-hour training will qualify friend of the court staff to conduct facilitative and information-gathering conferences and friend of the court domestic relations mediation.
Speaking at the webinar will be:
• Pete Armstrong, referee, Ottawa County Friend of the Court
• Stephanie Ash, Legal Self-Help Center director, Ottawa County
• Valentina Berishaj, attorney/ clerical services director, Macomb County Friend of the Court
• Zenell Brown, executive court administrator, 3rd Circuit Court
• Dr. Tim Cole, management analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau, Michigan Supreme Court
• Paul Gehm, management analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau, Michigan Supreme Court
• Sahera Housey, referee, Oakland County Friend of the Court
• Lindsay Poetz, court analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau, Michigan Supreme Court
• Traci Schenkel, Kent County assistant Friend of the Court
• Annette Wells, executive director, Community Mediation Services, Gaylord
Due to the interactivity of the webinar, participation will be limited to no more than 24 participants. MJI will ensure that as many courts are included in the training as possible. By registering for this webinar, staff is committed and required to attend all sessions. If there is any reason staff cannot attend all sessions, they should not register.
After registration is complete, attendees will receive an e-mail from Zoom indicating that their registration is pending and waiting for host approval. This is only a confirmation e-mail that the registration has been received and does not mean that the applicant has been accepted into the training. MJI will select and notify attendees of their acceptance to the training.
To register, visit https://mjieducation.mi.gov and click on “events.”
