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The referral criteria the Dallas County judiciary uses to send cases to the Dispute Resolution Center for subsidized mediation: county residents/litigants only; pro se cases eligible without limitation; Level 1 cases under $50,000 eligible; contingent-fee, insurer-retained, and all-retained-counsel cases excluded (absent a means finding); family cases requiring 24-hour family-mediation-certified mediators with SAPCR conservatorship/possession/support cases eligible; and JP/small-claims appeals eligible.
Texas > Dallas County > all court families referring to the Dallas County Dispute Resolution Center — the judiciary's subsidized-mediation eligibility screen; companions: the DRC cancellation policy and the civil district courts' Standard Mediation Order (both composed)
CIVIL DISTRICT, COUNTY COURTS AT LAW, AND PROBATE CASES: "Services are available to only Dallas County residents or litigants"; "Cases where any party is pro se are eligible for referral without limitation as to discovery level or total amount of claims"; "Cases under Discovery Level 1 with total claims under $50,000 are eligible for referral." Not eligible: cases with any party represented under a contingent fee agreement; cases with any party represented by counsel retained by an insurance company or other indemnitor; and cases in which all parties are represented by retained counsel, "unless the Court determines that the means of the parties are not sufficient to bear the cost of private mediation"; the individual judges of each county court at law decide case-by-case which cases are not eligible. FAMILY DISTRICT CASES (mediators need the 24-hour Family Mediation Certificate): county residents/litigants only; pro se cases eligible without limitation; non-SAPCR Level 1 cases under $50,000 eligible; "SAPCR Cases involving issues of conservatorship, possession, or support of minor children are eligible for referral"; all-retained-counsel cases ineligible absent the means finding; family cases are assigned "to attorney mediators with significant family law experience, or to any mediator approved by the referring court." JUSTICE OF THE PEACE CASES: county litigants only; pro se cases eligible without limitation; "Cases under Discovery Level 1 with total claims under $50,000 as well as JP/Small Claims appeals are eligible for referral."
Reviewer note: Own-site instrument composed by vision (image-only scan rendered and read 2026-08-28; custody sha in the crawl ledger); undated on face — no effective date claimed; the criteria sheet states it is used 'by the Judiciary' county-wide and is composed universal accordingly, hosted on the 302nd's page.
1 verbatim mandatory provision from 13-16-s.
2 verbatim mandatory provisions from 15-41-s.
43 verbatim mandatory provisions from 07-33-s.