Rule I Introduction.

Alabama set up a system to help people settle civil lawsuits without going through a full trial. Back in 1994, the Alabama Supreme Court created a group called the Commission on Dispute Resolution. This group's job was to build an organization that could help manage and improve ways to resolve disputes outside of court.

That organization, called the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, was officially started in August 1994. It works on things like coordinating mediation services and researching better ways to help people resolve their legal disputes. This background rule explains how the Center came to exist and sets the stage for the mediation rules that follow.