Loudoun General District and Small Claims Court Mentee Instructions Tuesdays at8:30 am in Courtroom 2F 18 East Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176

* Apprentices MUST contact their Mentor Mediator at least 3 days before the scheduled co-mediation date. Mentors typically require their apprentices to arrive at the courthouse early in order to prepare for the case. If you need to contact the NVMS Court Coordinator regarding your Mentor Mediator please do so via email: [email protected] or phone: (703) 865-7262

Directions to Courthouse:  By car: From all points east, take Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) West into Leesburg. Do not take the Route 7 or Route 15 bypasses. After passing the “Welcome to Leesburg” sign, drive about 1 mile. The road will fork; take the right fork for two blocks. The road will then curve back a little to the left; you’ll be on Market Street. On the right is the courthouse complex. Drive through the next traffic light at King Street (Route 15). On the left a little more than ½ a block from the light is a movie theatre. Turn left before the movie marquee into the Leesburg Public Parking Lot. Alternatively, you may take 267 Dulles Toll Road to Route 7 and take exit 1A toward Leesburg on US-15 Business. Turn right on S. King St. Turn left on Market Street to park in the public parking garage. When you walk out of the garage, turn right to go back to the courthouse complex (the one you just passed). At the traffic light, the new courthouse building is the first building on the other side of King Street (Route 15) with the entrance facing Route 15.

General District Court (Mondays & Wednesdays)

8:00 am: Professional attire is required when attending court. Arrive at courthouse. No cameras or cell phones with cameras are permitted inside the courthouse. All mediators should familiarize themselves with the case forms prior to going into court and bring blank case paperwork. Contact the Court Mediation Program Manager at 703-993-1311 to obtain copies.

8:30 am: Court begins, generally in Courtroom 2F. Most Judges begin with introductory remarks. This session is for first returns only. Contested matters have trial dates set. The Judge calls cases in order of the number of cases filed by each attorney. Often the pro se cases are called early. Some judges will encourage pro se litigants to use mediation if the case is contested. Either party may request mediation when their case is called. Mediations are held in the conference room between the two sets of courtroom doors. Please see “Mediator Responsibilities” on the following page for the procedure to follow when you are assigned a case. If agreement is not reached in mediation, a trial date for sometime in the future is set.

10:00 am: The second General District Court docket is called. Again, this is only for first returns. There is often a break between the two dockets.

Small Claims Court (Tuesdays)

8:00 am: Professional attire is required when attending court. Arrive at courthouse. No cameras or cell phones with cameras are permitted inside the courthouse. You should make arrangements with your Mentor as to where you’ll meet ahead of time, but it’s generally outside the courthouse. All mediators should familiarize themselves with the case forms prior to going into court. Co-mediators should take the time before court to speak with each other about their roles in the mediation case.

8:30 am: Court begins, generally in Courtroom 2F. Most Judges begin with introductory remarks, and most will require all cases to go to a mediation orientation before having the trial that day in court. The individual parties may also request mediation services when their case is called by the judge. Mediations are held in the conference room between the two sets of courtroom doors. Please see “Mediator Responsibilities” on the following page for the procedure to follow when you are assigned a case.

Last Updated 5/22/2018 Mediator Responsibilities (Your Mentor will help you with the following procedures):

After being assigned a case, proceed with the parties to your assigned location. Do not keep the court’s copy of the Warrant in Debt or the court’s case folder for any reason.

Conduct the mediation orientation and assess the appropriateness of the case for mediation. Ask the parties if they wish to proceed. If either party does not want to proceed, complete the Mediation Report to Court Form and take the parties back into the courtroom. Give this form to the Clerk. If the parties do wish to proceed, have the parties sign the Agreement to Participate in Mediation Form and conduct the mediation.

At the completion of the mediation, fill in the mediators’ names on the reverse side of both Client Evaluation Forms. Have the parties complete the client evaluations while you: a) draft their mediated agreement on the Mediation Agreement Form (only if the parties reached an agreement), b) complete the Mediation Report to Court Form, c) complete the Court Mediation Intake Form. If the parties reach a Mediated Agreement, make copies of the agreement. These copies are for the parties, mentee, mentor and NVMS. This can be done in the courtroom if court is not in session or in the clerk’s office. Once all paperwork has been completed, take the parties back into the courtroom. Give the Clerk the original signed Agreement to Mediate and the Mediated Agreement. The Judge will review the Report (and Mediated Agreement, if applicable) and either confirm the Mediated Agreement, set a trial date, or hold their trial (for Small Claims Court) as necessary. If court is no longer in session, take the original Mediated Agreement and the original Agreement to Mediate to the Clerk’s office and leave it with the clerk who was in court that day.

Collect the following information after each mediated case, and secure it with a paperclip. Mail the completed case packets following your last Loudoun County mediation each month to the Court Mediation Program Manager at NVMS: - Original completed Intake Form with all boxes completed - Copy signed Agreement to Mediate form - Copy of Mediated Agreement form (if agreement was reached) - Original Client Evaluations

Mail documents to:

Sherri Smith Northern Virginia Mediation Service 4041 University Drive Suite 101 Fairfax, VA 22030

Debrief in the hallway with your Mentor. Provide your Mentor with a Mentee Evaluation or Observation Form that you received at the Mentee Orientation Session. You may obtain additional copies of these forms at http://www.courts.state.va.us/drs/forms/home.html. Once your mentor fills out this form, s/he will provide you with the original for your records. Keep track of these evaluations, as you will need them to apply for state certification. Additionally, you may be asked to provide copies if you apply to be included on the NVMS Mediator Roster.

Return to the courtroom and wait for any additional cases.

Last Updated 5/22/2018