Rule 12.010.Applicability
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 12.010
Plain-English Summary
Chapter 12 of the UTCR is about who may serve as a mediator in an Oregon circuit court program, and UTCR 12.010 marks the chapter's borders. The chapter sets minimum qualifications, obligations, and mediator disclosures — education, training, experience, and conduct — for general civil mediators as provided by ORS 36.200(1), domestic relations custody and parenting mediators as provided by ORS 107.775(2), and domestic relations financial mediators as provided by ORS 107.755(4).
Approval does not travel between those categories. A mediator approved to provide one type of mediation may not mediate another type unless approved for that one too. A general civil mediator who wants to move into custody and parenting cases, or a custody mediator who wants to add financial issues, has to satisfy the separate qualification rule for the new category.
The rule is equally clear about what it leaves alone. It does not alter any requirement for personnel who perform conciliation services under ORS 107.510 to 107.610. It does not allow mediation of proceedings under ORS 30.866, ORS 107.700 to 107.735, ORS 124.005 to 124.040, or ORS 163.738, as provided in ORS 107.755(2). And it establishes no requirements for compensating mediators, nor does it limit the ability of mediators or qualified supervisors to be paid for their services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UTCR chapter 12 license mediators for private work outside the courts?
No. The chapter sets qualifications, obligations, and disclosures for the court-connected mediator roles it names — general civil, domestic relations custody and parenting, and domestic relations financial. It is a standard for approval within a court program, not a general license to practice mediation in Oregon.
I am an approved general civil mediator. Can I take a custody case?
Not on that approval alone. UTCR 12.010(2) says a mediator approved to provide one type of mediation may not mediate another type unless the mediator is also approved for the other type. You would need to meet the requirements in UTCR 12.070 and be approved in that category.
Does chapter 12 change anything for staff who perform conciliation services?
No. The rule states that the chapter does not in any way alter the requirements pertaining to personnel who perform conciliation services under ORS 107.510 to 107.610. Those programs keep whatever standards the statutes set for them.
Are there proceedings these rules keep out of mediation?
Yes. UTCR 12.010(3)(b) says the chapter does not allow mediation of proceedings under ORS 30.866, ORS 107.700 to 107.735, ORS 124.005 to 124.040, or ORS 163.738, as provided in ORS 107.755(2). The restriction comes from the statute, and nothing in the chapter opens a way around it.
Do these rules say what a court-connected mediator can charge?
No. UTCR 12.010(3) states that the chapter establishes no requirements for compensation of mediators and does not limit the ability of mediators or qualified supervisors to be compensated for their services. Compensation sits outside what this chapter regulates.