The Chartered Arbitrator & Chartered Mediator Designations – Setting Standards For In-house ADR Practitioners

In-House Mediation and Arbitration

It is a wise investment for organizations with the necessary expertise to establish “in-house” mediation and/or arbitration services. There are long lasting benefits from this approach, which include: improvement in organizational morale and workplace efficiency, better working relationships with the public, clients, customers and employees, less litigation, and overall cost savings.

Adding Strength to Your In-House Program: The Chartered Designations

Your organization will better realize the benefits of making ADR processes part of its organizational fabric if the level of training and expertise of in-house staff meet appropriate quality standards that ensure the credibility of the program. To ensure services offered are of the proper caliber, organizations such as the Department of National Defence regularly turn to standards set by the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) with respect to the C.Med and C.Arb designations.

ADRIC has obtained official recognition under the Federal Trade Marks Act for the designations Chartered Mediator, C.Med, and Chartered Arbitrator, C.Arb. The Chartered Mediator and Chartered Arbitrator designations recognize a superior competence. ADRIC’s objective in developing these professional ADR designations was to assist the public in finding qualified ADR practitioners. These designations are also very important to organizations with in-house arbitrators and mediators who wish to set objective standards and qualifications for their staff.

Organizations with branches across Canada find the designation particularly useful since it is the only nationally-recognized designation for practicing mediators and arbitrators in Canada.

To ensure that a high, consistent, set of standards is met by the persons entitled to use the designations, ADRIC has established general principles, a set of criteria and a protocol to be used in assessing the eligibility of a candidate for the designation and for the granting of a designation.

For more information about the requirements for the Chartered Arbitrator designation click here and to view information about the Chartered Mediator designation click here.

Why the C.Med and C.Arb designations are important to Organizations with In-house ADR Programs:

  1. The C.Med and C.Arb designations are the only advanced national ADR designations for practising mediators and arbitrators across Canada.
  2. Those awarded these designations are members of an organization that represents continued excellence, both domestically and internationally, in the field of ADR.
  3. They also have access to discounted courses and professional development sessions within the region of residence of each practitioner and nationally.
  4. Programs can be standardized across the country with respect to process and cost.
  5. Organizations can include designation competency requirements within the practitioner’s learning profile so that the employee’s personal learning plans are directly related to the requirements of the designation.

How the Designations Meet the Needs of Canadian Organizations

The C.Med and C.Arb designations provide a Canadian solution for Canadian organizations, offering all of the following:

  1. Process efficiency
  2. Standardization, with every one assessed in the same simplified manner
  3. Process fairness
  4. Maintenance of competency requirements
  5. Overall consistency.