Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.851 · Article 2. Rules of Conduct for Mediators in Court-Connected Mediation Programs for Civil Cases
Application
Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
(a) Circumstances applicable
The rules in this article apply to mediations in which a mediator:
(1) Has agreed to be included on a superior court's list or panel of mediators for general civil cases and is notified by the court or the parties that he or she has been selected to mediate a case within that court's mediation program; or
(2) Has agreed to mediate a general civil case pending in a superior court after being notified by the court or the parties that he or she was recommended, selected, or appointed by that court or will be compensated by that court to mediate a case within that court's mediation program. A mediator who is not on a superior court list or panel and who is selected by the parties is not "recommended, selected, or appointed" by the court within the meaning of this subdivision simply because the court approves the parties' agreement to use this mediator or memorializes the parties' selection in a court order.
(b) Application to listed firms
If a court's panel or list includes firms that provide mediation services, all mediators affiliated with a listed firm are required to comply with the rules in this article when they are notified by the court or the parties that the firm was selected from the court list to mediate a general civil case within that court's mediation program.
(c) Time of applicability
Except as otherwise provided in these rules, the rules in this article apply from the time the mediator agrees to mediate a case until the end of the mediation in that case.
(d) Inapplicability to judges
The rules in this article do not apply to judges or other judicial officers while they are serving in a capacity in which they are governed by the Code of Judicial Ethics.
(e) Inapplicability to settlement conferences
The rules in this article do not apply to settlement conferences conducted under rule 3.1380.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
History
(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2010; previously amended effective January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2009.)
(Subd (b) amended effective July 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(Subd (e) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
Rule 3.851 amended effective January 1, 2010; adopted as rule 1620.1 effective January 1, 2003; previously amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective July 1, 2007, and January 1, 2009.
Advisory Committee Comment
Subdivision (d). Although these rules do not apply to them, judicial officers who serve as mediators in their courts' mediation programs are nevertheless encouraged to be familiar with and observe these rules when mediating, particularly the rules concerning subjects not covered in the Code of Judicial Ethics such as voluntary participation and self-determination.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
- Official file
- https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_851
- Text hash
- sha256 f61a5e7ac001e8b25cc83d46f0de58cb7f6b76c308a13034bc8b2da2316d0086
- Composed by
- compose_crc.py 2026-10-22: the Judicial Council's rule pages read paragraph by paragraph; verify_crc.py's second reading of the Council's per-title PDFs finds every paragraph
BenchPath cards that rely on this text
- Merced County Superior Court Local Rules of Court (effective July 1, 2026) — Civil Rules; Civil Jury Trials; Civil Jury Instructions (Rules 3 to 4.1)
- Monterey County Superior Court Local Rules of Court (effective July 1, 2026) — Chapter 6: Civil Department
- Orange County Superior Court Local Rules (current edition, effective July 1, 2025) — Division 3: Civil Rules
- Santa Barbara County Superior Court Local Rules of Court (current local rules effective January 1, 2025) — Chapter Eleven: Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”)
This rule cites
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California Rules of Court
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Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.