From the Director
Change is in the air, and this e-newsletter is just one of the changes you will see from GODR in the coming weeks and months.  We've been listening to your comments and gathering input from registered neutrals and other sources throughout the state, and we’re trying to respond to your needs.  We’re particularly excited about our new insurance and retirement benefits program for registered neutrals. See the article below.

Also, at the urging of the General Assembly, the Commission on Dispute Resolution has committed to making GODR a self-sustaining entity by FY2012.  That means that as of July 1, 2011, we will no longer receive any support from state taxpayer funds.  The Commission has developed a realistic plan to generate the revenue needed to operate this office while at the same time increasing opportunities and benefits for you.

A critical part of the Commission’s plan has been GODR’s integration into the Administrative Office of the Courts, where we now can share resources with other judicial regulatory agencies and receive much-needed technical and administrative support.  In the long term, the AOC’s support and the fiscal freedom from the legislature will allow us to focus more of our energies on improving the state ADR system for our constituents – our registered neutrals working in Georgia courts and in other areas, our local ADR court programs, our trainers, and the litigants, lawyers and judges who use our system.

This e-newsletter will now come to your mailbox monthly.  Each month we will include news from GODR, link to upcoming training and CE opportunities, and articles of interest to all of us who mediate or arbitrate for a living.  If you have ideas for articles, please forward them to us.

Thank you for your service to our profession.
Shinji Morokuma, Director GODR    
gaodr@godr.org
 

New Insurance Offerings
Having a hard time getting good insurance?  GODR has just contracted with BPC Financial, the State Bar of Georgia’s recommended insurance broker, to offer Georgia registered neutrals the opportunity to purchase insurance and retirement products at group rates, with reduced underwriting requirements or with enhanced benefits.  Among the many products that will be available to registered neutrals only:

In the next few days you'll start receiving e-mails and mailings from BPC Financial with full details on how to sign up for these programs. For more information, go to www.memberbenefits.com/godr .  Also, look to our website for more information about our other insurance program for exclusively for registered neutrals – the Professional Liability Insurance program through Complete Equity Markets: MORE INFO>>
 

Save the Date !
The 16th Annual ADR Institute and 2010 Neutrals’ Conference will be held Friday, December 10, 2010, at the State Bar of Georgia Conference Center, 104 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta.  Last year’s attendance hit a record 250, and we hope to meet or exceed that figure this year.  At least 6 hours of neutral continuing education and 6 hours of CLE (including 1 Ethics Hour) will be available.  More details and conference registration will be available through www.iclega.org in November.  Stay tuned!

Upcoming CE Offerings
Don't wait until Thanksgiving to get your CE hours completed – at that point you will be competing with everyone else for class seats !  Worse yet, waiting will mean you’ll lose the opportunity to acquire valuable tools to assist you in your practice today.  You can check CE and training offerings online at our website:  MORE INFO>>
 

New Georgia ADR Blog
While GODR staff has not had the time to blog for you, we encourage you to visit the blog created by Georgia State University law professor Doug Yarn and GSU law student Tom DeFreytas to inform and encourage discussion.  Please add this to your reading list, send the link to your colleagues, and visit often:  MORE INFO>>