Criminal Court
The New York City Criminal Court may refer certain disputes to Community Dispute Resolution Centers for mediation services. These disputes may be between neighbors, acquaintances, family members, landlords and tenants, or consumers and merchants.
Family Court
New York City Family Court offers free mediation services for parenting issues in custody and visitation cases. For more information on these Family Court-based mediation programs, contact Virginia Torres-Villegas, MA., Director of the New York City Family Court Mediation Program, at [email protected].
Custody/Visitation Mediation
The New York City Family Court Custody/Visitation Mediation Program accepts custody and visitation cases pending in the family courts of all five counties. Cases are referred by the judge or referee but either party may request that the judge or referee refer the case to mediation at any time. All referrals are screened before the mediation session begins to determine whether the matter is appropriate for mediation.
Civil Court
The Civil Court of the City of New York has jurisdiction over civil cases involving amounts up to $25,000 and other civil matters referred to it by the Supreme Court. It includes a small claims part for informal dispositions of matters not exceeding $5,000 and a housing part for landlord-tenant matters of unlimited amounts and housing code violations.
Supreme Court
NYC Supreme Civil consists of trial courts that see a variety of cases including commercial, matrimonial (divorce), and personal injury. Find out more about the ADR Programs in NYC Supreme courts:
Surrogate's Court
The Surrogate’s Courts hear cases involving the affairs of decedents, including the probate of wills and the administration of estates. Find out about the Bronx Surrogate's ADR Program or the Queens Surrogate's Mediation Program.
For Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Staten Island, please contact [email protected].