Guidelines issued by the American Bar Association provide that mediators must adhere to nine basic standards of practice. These include:
I. Respect and support for right of parties to self determination;
II. Impartiality;
III. Avoidance of conflicts of interests;
IV. Competence of the mediator;
V. Maintenance of strict standards of confidentiality;
VI. Assure quality of the mediation process;
VII. Truthfulness in mediator advertising;
VIII. Honesty and fairness in fee arrangements; and
IX. Commitment to improve the mediation profession.
The ABA Model Standard of Conduct for Mediators, referenced above, can be found at http://www.abanet.org/dispute/documents/model_standards_conduct_april2007.pdf.
