The Harris County Dispute Resolution Center

The Harris County Dispute Resolution Center, opened its doors as the Neighborhood Justice Center in 1980. It provides free, court-annexed mediation services to all the courts and the public in Harris County. The services include arbitration and moderated settlement conferences as well as mediation in family, litigation, and community cases, among others. To qualify for most of these services, a person must generally meet certain income and amount-in-controversy requirements. The DRC provides these services with the help of Houston Bar Association members and other community volunteers.

The Harris County DRC is always looking for new volunteer mediators, especially those who are fluent in languages other than English. Community mediators must have completed a forty-hour mediation training with the DRC or a similar training. Litigation mediators must have completed the forty-hour mediation training and have been licensed to practice law in Texas for at least five years. DRC family mediators must have also completed the forty-hour training, an additional 24-hour family mediation training, and have a law degree or an advanced degree in a field related to family mediation. The DRC usually holds a forty-hour community mediation training twice a year and other trainings as needed.

Persons interested in becoming DRC mediators should send a letter, a current resume, and copies of their mediation training certificates to Nick Hall, Acting Director of the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center, 49 San Jacinto, Suite 220 Houston, TX 77002. They can call (713) 755-8274 for more information.