In accordance with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 905, the 14th Circuit developed local rules for a mediation program for domestic relations cases, which became effective January 1, 2007. The rules require the assigned judge to refer all pre-judgment and post judgment custody, visitation and removal cases to mediation unless an impediment to mediation exists, such as domestic violence, substance abuse or cognitive impairment. Parties may proceed to a judicial hearing on contested issues for only temporary relief; the mediation process must be completed before scheduling any final hearing on these issues.

Mediators are selected from the list of court-approved mediators by agreement of the parties. To be approved by the Chief Judge, applicants must submit an application or curriculum vitae that confirms that the person has obtained a graduate degree in a field of study that includes law or the behavioral sciences and has completed a 40-hour family mediation training. Other qualifications include familiarity with the Uniform Mediation Act and the Supreme Court and local court rules regarding mediation, as well as recognition of the requirement to mediate a minimum of four pro bono or reduced fee cases per year; the court determines whether a case should be considered pro bono or reduced fee. Currently, there are 23 mediators on the roster.

Compensation to the mediator is provided by the parties at the rate agreed upon by the parties and the mediator. If the parties cannot agree on a mediator, the court will assign on. In this case, the mediator fee will be at a rate not less than $150 per hour, and the mediator will be entitled to at least one hour compensation. Mediations take place in the county where the case is pending unless the parties and the mediator agree to meet elsewhere. The parties must attend a minimum of three hours of mediation unless the parties come to an agreement beforehand; it is possible to have more than one session. Each party is allowed to have one representative present at the mediation.

Within 20 days of the last mediation session, the mediator is required to report to the court what happened in the mediation. The parties present the mediated agreement to the court after the Mediator's Report has been filed, and the court enters an appropriate judgment or order which reflects the terms of the agreement. The mediator is asked to file a statistical report for each case with the Court Administrator on a quarterly basis. The Court Administrator then reports the statistics to the Supreme Court once a year.

Rock Island County Courthouse
1317 3rd Ave., Suite 101 
Rock Island, Illinois 61201