§ 155.003.Attorney to Serve as Mediator

The mediator supply, and the last sentence is the surprising one.

Any currently licensed Texas attorney may serve, on the terms, conditions and training the administrative judge determines.

An appointed attorney must meet the Chapter 154 standards. The qualifications in Section 154.052 and the conduct rules in Section 154.053 both apply.

That import is what keeps quality steady. A settlement week mediator is trained and bound to the same duties as a mediator the court appoints in any other case.

Confidentiality comes with those rules. Section 154.053 forbids disclosing confidences and shields the process from the appointing court, and Section 155.004 brings Section 154.073 in as well.

Service is compulsory when asked. An attorney requested by the administrative judge shall serve as a mediator during the settlement weeks.

That obligation is unusual and deliberate. A week set aside to settle hundreds of cases needs dozens of mediators, and the chapter draws them from the bar rather than a budget.

Volunteer service also carries qualified immunity under Section 154.055, which protects a mediator who is paid nothing beyond expenses.

Training terms are set locally. The administrative judge determines the terms, conditions and training for service, within the qualifications Chapter 154 imposes.