{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/8.01-576.8.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/8.01-576.8.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/8.01-576.8.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/8.01-576.8.html"}],"law_id":72690,"edition_id":1,"section_id":72690,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.8","catch_line":"Qualifications of neutrals; referral","history":"1993, c. 905; 2002, c. 718.","full_text":"A neutral who provides dispute resolution services other than mediation pursuant to this chapter shall provide the court with a written statement of qualifications, describing the neutral’s background and relevant training and experience in the field. A dispute resolution program may satisfy the requirements of this section on behalf of its neutrals by providing the court with a written statement of the background, training, experience, and certification, as appropriate, of any neutral who participates in its program. A neutral who desires to provide mediation and receive referrals from the court shall be certified pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council of Virginia. The court shall maintain a list of mediators certified pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council and may maintain a list of neutrals and dispute resolution programs which have met the requirements of this section. The list may be divided among the areas of specialization or expertise of the neutrals.\n\t\tAt the conclusion of the orientation session, or no later than ten days thereafter, parties electing to continue with the dispute resolution proceeding may: (i) continue with the neutral who conducted the orientation session, (ii) select any neutral or dispute resolution program from the list maintained by the court to conduct such proceedings, or (iii) pursue any other alternative for voluntarily resolving the dispute to which the parties agree. If the parties choose to proceed with the dispute resolution proceeding but are unable to agree on a neutral or dispute resolution program during that period, the court shall refer the case to a neutral or dispute resolution program who accepts such referrals, on the list maintained by the court on the basis of a fair and equitable rotation, taking into account the subject matter of the dispute and the expertise of the neutral, as appropriate. If one or more of the parties is indigent or no agreement as to payment is reached between the parties and a neutral, the court shall set a reasonable fee for the service of any neutral who accepts such referral pursuant to this paragraph.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":261627,"text":"A neutral who provides dispute resolution services other than mediation pursuant to this chapter shall provide the court with a written statement of qualifications, describing the neutral’s background and relevant training and experience in the field. A dispute resolution program may satisfy the requirements of this section on behalf of its neutrals by providing the court with a written statement of the background, training, experience, and certification, as appropriate, of any neutral who participates in its program. A neutral who desires to provide mediation and receive referrals from the court shall be certified pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council of Virginia. The court shall maintain a list of mediators certified pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council and may maintain a list of neutrals and dispute resolution programs which have met the requirements of this section. The list may be divided among the areas of specialization or expertise of the neutrals.\n\t\tAt the conclusion of the orientation session, or no later than ten days thereafter, parties electing to continue with the dispute resolution proceeding may: (i) continue with the neutral who conducted the orientation session, (ii) select any neutral or dispute resolution program from the list maintained by the court to conduct such proceedings, or (iii) pursue any other alternative for voluntarily resolving the dispute to which the parties agree. If the parties choose to proceed with the dispute resolution proceeding but are unable to agree on a neutral or dispute resolution program during that period, the court shall refer the case to a neutral or dispute resolution program who accepts such referrals, on the list maintained by the court on the basis of a fair and equitable rotation, taking into account the subject matter of the dispute and the expertise of the neutral, as appropriate. If one or more of the parties is indigent or no agreement as to payment is reached between the parties and a neutral, the court shall set a reasonable fee for the service of any neutral who accepts such referral pursuant to this paragraph.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14078,"edition_id":1,"name":"Court-Referred Dispute Resolution Proceedings","identifier":"20.2","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12747,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:48","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:48","permalink":{"id":278775,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14078,"identifier":"20.2","token":"8.01\/20.2","url":"\/8.01\/20.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12747,"edition_id":1,"name":"Civil Remedies and Procedure","identifier":"8.01","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":277029,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12747,"identifier":"8.01","token":"8.01","url":"\/8.01\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":67016,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.10","catch_line":"Confidentiality of dispute resolution proceeding","url":"\/8.01-576.10\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.10","metadata":false},{"id":73838,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.11","catch_line":"Effect of written settlement agreement","url":"\/8.01-576.11\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.11","metadata":false},{"id":64310,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.12","catch_line":"Vacating orders and agreements","url":"\/8.01-576.12\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.12","metadata":false},{"id":83325,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.4","catch_line":"Scope and definitions","url":"\/8.01-576.4\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.4","metadata":false},{"id":55196,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.5","catch_line":"Referral of disputes to dispute resolution proceedings","url":"\/8.01-576.5\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.5","metadata":false},{"id":72333,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.6","catch_line":"Notice and opportunity to object","url":"\/8.01-576.6\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.6","metadata":false},{"id":76547,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.7","catch_line":"Costs","url":"\/8.01-576.7\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.7","metadata":false},{"id":72690,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.8","catch_line":"Qualifications of neutrals; referral","url":"\/8.01-576.8\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.8","metadata":false},{"id":67733,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.9","catch_line":"Standards and duties of neutrals; confidentiality; liability","url":"\/8.01-576.9\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.9","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":76547,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.7","catch_line":"Costs","url":"\/8.01-576.7\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.7","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":67733,"structure_id":14078,"section_number":"8.01-576.9","catch_line":"Standards and duties of neutrals; confidentiality; liability","url":"\/8.01-576.9\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.9","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-576.8\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1993. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 905 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1993 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2002, chapter 718<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":86098,"section_number":"63.2-1509","catch_line":"Requirement that certain injuries to children be reported by physicians, nurses, teachers, etc.; penalty for failure to report","order_by":null,"url":"\/63.2-1509\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":278805,"object_type":"law","relational_id":72690,"identifier":"8.01-576.8","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.8","url":"\/8.01-576.8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-576.8\/","token":"8.01\/20.2\/8.01-576.8","dublin_core":{"Title":"Qualifications of neutrals; referral","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-576.8","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A neutral who provides dispute resolution services other than mediation pursuant to this chapter shall provide the court<\/span> with a written statement of qualifications, describing the neutral’s background and relevant training and experience in the field. A dispute resolution program may satisfy the requirements of this section on behalf of its neutrals by providing the court<\/span> with a written statement of the background, training, experience, and certification, as appropriate, of any neutral who participates in its program. A neutral who desires to provide mediation and receive referrals from the court<\/span> shall be certified pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council of Virginia. The court<\/span> shall maintain a list of mediators certified pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council and may maintain a list of neutrals and dispute resolution programs which have met the requirements of this section. The list may be divided among the areas of specialization or expertise of the neutrals.\n\t\tAt the conclusion of the orientation session, or no later than ten days thereafter, parties electing to continue with the dispute resolution proceeding may: (i) continue with the neutral who conducted the orientation session, (ii) select any neutral or dispute resolution program from the list maintained by the court<\/span> to conduct such proceedings, or (iii) pursue any other alternative for voluntarily resolving the dispute to which the parties agree. If the parties choose to proceed with the dispute resolution proceeding but are unable to agree on a neutral or dispute resolution program during that period, the court<\/span> shall refer the case to a neutral or dispute resolution program who accepts such referrals, on the list maintained by the court<\/span> on the basis of a fair and equitable<\/span> rotation, taking into account the subject matter of the dispute and the expertise of the neutral, as appropriate. If one or more of the parties is indigent<\/span> or no agreement as to payment is reached between the parties and a neutral, the court<\/span> shall set a reasonable fee for the service of any neutral who accepts such referral pursuant to this paragraph.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nQUALIFICATIONS OF NEUTRALS; REFERRAL (\u00a7 8.01-576.8)\n\nA neutral who provides dispute resolution services other than mediation pursuant\nto this chapter shall provide the court with a written statement of\nqualifications, describing the neutral’s background and relevant training\nand experience in the field. A dispute resolution program may satisfy the\nrequirements of this section on behalf of its neutrals by providing the court\nwith a written statement of the background, training, experience, and\ncertification, as appropriate, of any neutral who participates in its program. A\nneutral who desires to provide mediation and receive referrals from the court\nshall be certified pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council of\nVirginia. The court shall maintain a list of mediators certified pursuant to\nguidelines promulgated by the Judicial Council and may maintain a list of\nneutrals and dispute resolution programs which have met the requirements of this\nsection. The list may be divided among the areas of specialization or expertise\nof the neutrals.\n\t\tAt the conclusion of the orientation session, or no later than ten days\nthereafter, parties electing to continue with the dispute resolution proceeding\nmay: (i) continue with the neutral who conducted the orientation session, (ii)\nselect any neutral or dispute resolution program from the list maintained by the\ncourt to conduct such proceedings, or (iii) pursue any other alternative for\nvoluntarily resolving the dispute to which the parties agree. If the parties\nchoose to proceed with the dispute resolution proceeding but are unable to agree\non a neutral or dispute resolution program during that period, the court shall\nrefer the case to a neutral or dispute resolution program who accepts such\nreferrals, on the list maintained by the court on the basis of a fair and\nequitable rotation, taking into account the subject matter of the dispute and\nthe expertise of the neutral, as appropriate. If one or more of the parties is\nindigent or no agreement as to payment is reached between the parties and a\nneutral, the court shall set a reasonable fee for the service of any neutral who\naccepts such referral pursuant to this paragraph.\n\nHISTORY: 1993, c. 905; 2002, c. 718.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}