ArlingtonCounty Small Claims Court Mentee Instructions

Fridays @ 9:30 am in Courtroom 3D (except 1st Friday of the month)

1425 North Courthouse Rd, Arlington, VA

* 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 viaemail: or phone: (703) 865-7272

Directions to Courthouse:

  • Metro: Take the Orange Line toward New Carrollton and get off at Courthouse. The ArlingtonCountyJusticeCenter is ½ block away from the metro station going south on Courthouse Road.
  • By car: Take US-50 to North Courthouse Road and go north. Turn left on 14th Street North and either a) take the first right onto Uhle Street into a metered parking lot, b) continue on 14th Street another block to a right on North Veitch Street, where underground, metered public parking is available, or c) find metered street parking on the streets surrounding the courthouse. The metered lot and street parking only accepts quarters, has a time limit of 4 hours, and is typically full by 8:45 am.

9:00 am:Professional attire is required when attending court. Arrive at the ArlingtonCounty Courthouse. When standing on Courthouse Rd. between 14th and 15th Streets, facing the courtyard, you will see the prison on the left of the courtyard and the courthouse on the right. Enter the courthouse building through the courtyard entrance. Cell phones are not allowed in the courthouse. You may deposit them in lockers in the detention center. You must pass through the metal detectors and the officers there will confiscate anything that can be used as a weapon, including pocketknives. Take the escalator up two flights to the third floor. The first mediator to arrive will collect the docket from the Civil Division desk on the 2nd floor and collect case folders from the small mediation room next to courtroom 3A. Mediators will decide together the order in which mediators will receive casesand allocate rooms to use for mediation. Mediations are held in the four small rooms adjacent to Courtrooms 3A and 3D. All mediators should familiarize themselves with the case forms prior to going into court. You and your Mentor should take the time before court to speak with each other about your roles in the mediation.

9:20 am: Mediators should be in the courtroom (3D), sitting together in the first two rows.

9:30 am: Court begins. The Clerk and/or Bailiff will give a brief procedural speech. Most Judges begin with introductory remarks, and then call Collections cases first (cases where a Judgment has already been entered). The Judge will then call through the docket to see who is present for trial. The judge may talk about the benefits of mediation. The judge will send cases to mediation if 1) both parties are present, and 2) the Defendant disputes the charges. These cases are required to attend a mediation “orientation” (introduction), but they may opt out at any time. If you find that you need a translator, ask the bailiff to help you procure one. If no translator is available, tell the party to ask the Judge for a continuance for a date at which a translator can be scheduled.

Mediator Responsibilities:

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 Coordinator or the Bailiff. 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 do not reach an agreement, complete the Mediation Report Form, take the parties back into the courtroom, and give the form to the Bailiff. If the parties reach a Mediated Agreement, make copies of the agreement. The courts receive the original agreement while the parties, mediator, mentee and NVMS receive copies. This can be done in the mediation room next to courtroom 3A. Remind the parties that it is the Plaintiff’s responsibility to notify the court when the Mediated Agreement has been satisfied. Once all paperwork has been completed, take the parties back into the courtroom. Give the Bailiff the completed Mediation Report, the Warrant in Debt and the originalsigned Mediated Agreement Form. The Judge will review the Report (and Mediated Agreement, if applicable) and either confirm the Mediated Agreement or hold their trial as necessary.

Put the following information in your case folder at the completion of each case:

-Original completed Intake Form with all boxes completed

-Original signed Agreement to Mediate form

-Copy of Mediated Agreement form (if agreement was reached)

-Original Client Evaluations

Put the paperwork listed above in the postage-paid addressed envelope (to NVMS) that is located in the mediation room next to courtroom 3A. (Do this once you have completed all of your mediations). The person with the last mediation of the day should add their paperwork to the envelope, seal it and mail it (unless mediators have been notified that someone from NVMS will pick up the paperwork in person).

See if there are additional cases waiting to be mediated. If there are none, debrief in the hallway with your Mentor. Provide your Mentor with a Mentee Evaluation or Observation Form that you received at the Mentee Observation Session. You may obtain additional copies of these forms at 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 them if you apply to be included on the NVMS Mediator Roster.

Last Updated 10/6/2018