On April 20, 2024, supported by the USAID Rule of Law Program, the Mediators Association of Georgia (MAG) organized a meeting in Kachreti. Ten representatives from recently established court mediation centers in Eastern Georgia attended, comprising managers and staff from various district and magistrate courts, including Mtskheta, Akhaltsikhe, Telavi, Gurjaani, Bolnisi, Tetritskaro District Courts, as well as Dedoplistskaro and Sagarejo Magistrate Courts.

The meeting aimed to address current practices and challenges related to the transfer/referral of mediation cases, as well as to establish procedures and standards for processing statistical data on mediation cases. One significant topic of discussion was the role of lawyers in the mediation process.

Eka Khatiashvili, Manager of the Magistrate Courts of Dedoplistskaro and Sagarejo, provided examples illustrating how lawyer’s actions could hinder the mediation process, underscoring the ongoing necessity for initiatives to raise lawyers’ awareness in mediation matters.

Notably, there was consensus among representatives on the importance of developing standardized documentation for proceedings related to the statistical data processing of mediation cases. Plans were proposed to convene a meeting where court representatives would contribute to shaping this documentation, with expert legal input ensuring alignment with legal standards. The resulting standardized documentation would be distributed to all court centers for adoption and shared with mediators listed on the MAG registry. Additionally, participants highlighted personnel shortages in court mediation centers as a prevalent issue affecting current practices.

The meeting, conducted in a discussion format, concluded with a commitment from all court center representatives to closely collaborate, aiming to develop a unified model for processing statistical data that aligns with established standards.