Richmond County Surrogate's Court Richmond Surrogate's Court Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Overview

It is the policy of the Unified Court System to encourage the resolution of civil legal disputes by methods including mediation, arbitration, neutral evaluation, in-court settlement practices, and summary jury trials. All civil actions or proceedings heard in the Supreme Court, Court of Claims, County Court, Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, District Court, City Court, and New York City Civil Court shall be presumptively eligible for early referral to an alternative dispute resolution process unless otherwise excluded. Courts may refer parties to an ADR process at any time after an action has been commenced and are encouraged to do so at the earliest appropriate opportunity.

Richmond County Surrogate’s Court is a firm believer in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Settlement conferences with the Surrogate and court staff including court attorney-referees and retired Surrogates are routine occurrences. All contested matters are strongly encouraged to engage in mediation prior to trial. Orders of Referral to mediation will be issued when determined to be appropriate. 

Mediations of matters pending in Richmond County Surrogate’s Court may occur in the courthouse or at another mutually agreeable location. They may also take place virtually through videoconferencing platforms such as Skype for Business, or even by telephone. The process can result in enormous savings of time and money, reduce stress and create longer lasting agreements.

If you have a matter that is currently pending in Richmond County Surrogate’s Court that you would like considered for reference to ADR, or if you simply have a question concerning ADR in Richmond County Surrogate’s Court, please contact the ADR Coordinator for New York City Surrogate’s Courts, Denise Colón, Esq. Ms. Colón can be reached by email at [email protected].