Wiser Workplace
Mediator directory standards

Standards for the Wiser Workplace mediator directory.

What it takes to be on the directory at launch. We publish these standards so prospective mediators can self-qualify, parties know who is on the directory, and the public has a clear baseline.

California does not issue a general state mediator license. Wiser Workplace's directory standards are platform requirements, not government certifications. Each mediator on the directory is an independent professional, not a Wiser Workplace employee. Applicants attest to the credentials below. Supporting documents and a certificate of insurance are requested by email before approval and before any first engagement. Wiser Workplace checks what can be checked against public sources, and at launch each directory listing says which credentials were checked that way. Wiser Workplace does not supervise the mediator's work and does not guarantee any mediation outcome.

1. Credentials and experience

Mediators on the directory attest to at least one of the following voluntary professional credentials. Supporting documents are requested by email before approval:

✓California Dispute Resolution Council (CDRC) certified mediator
✓Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) member with practice listing
✓JAMS, AAA, ADR Services, or Signature Resolution active panel mediator
✓California Superior Court ADR panel certification (LA, SF, OC, San Diego, Sacramento, or any other CA Superior Court ADR program)
✓Retired California judge (Superior Court bench, Court of Appeal, or California Supreme Court)
✓EEOC mediator panel or California Civil Rights Department mediator panel
✓Other equivalent voluntary credential on case-by-case review

Minimum mediation experience: 5 years of mediation practice. Employment-dispute exposure is preferred but not required for general practitioners; specialty experience in employment, wage-hour, harassment, discrimination, accommodation, or wrongful-termination matters is noted on the directory listing.

2. Professional liability insurance

✓Active professional liability coverage with policy limits of at least $1,000,000 per claim
✓Certificate of insurance requested by email before approval and before any first engagement
✓Mediator confirms coverage extends to engagements arising through the platform's bilateral mediator selection process (or carries a separate policy that does)

Wiser Workplace's insurance does not cover a mediator's professional services. Each mediator is responsible for maintaining their own coverage as a condition of remaining on the directory.

3. Ethics and disclosure obligations

Each directory mediator commits in writing, before approval, to the following:

✓Conflict-of-interest disclosure to all parties before accepting an engagement, covering personal, professional, and financial relationships with either party or their counsel
✓Payer disclosure: the mediator confirms to both parties in writing, before the mediation begins, who is paying the mediator's fee. This is a platform requirement and a matter of good practice; we do not claim it is imposed by any rule of professional conduct, because it is not
✓Role clarification for unrepresented parties, which for attorney mediators is a professional duty rather than a courtesy. California Rule of Professional Conduct 2.4 requires a lawyer serving as a third-party neutral to inform unrepresented parties that the lawyer is not representing them, and, where the lawyer knows or reasonably should know that a party does not understand the role, to explain the difference between acting as a third-party neutral and acting as a lawyer for a client. Employees using this platform are frequently unrepresented, so attorney mediators on the directory commit to making that disclosure on the record
✓Repeat-engagement disclosure if the mediator has previously mediated a matter with the same employer (frequency and recency)
✓Independence of professional judgment: mediator conducts the mediation on their own professional terms and is not directed by Wiser Workplace
✓Confidentiality observance: mediator commits to operating mediations consistent with California's mediation confidentiality framework
✓Professional reporting duties: a mediator's own professional reporting duties are unaffected by mediation confidentiality

4. Compensation structure

Wiser Workplace's fee is separate from the mediator's fee and is never a share of it. Attorney-mediators can apply their own professional rules to this structure; Wiser Workplace is not a law firm and does not advise on them. Specifically:

✓Mediators set their own rates. Wiser Workplace does not set, cap, or otherwise control mediator rates.
✓Unless the parties agree otherwise in writing before the mediator is engaged, the employer pays the mediator's fee in full and the employee owes the mediator nothing. The fee is paid directly to the mediator.
✓Wiser Workplace never shares in the mediator's fee. Employers pay Wiser Workplace a subscription. Mediator fees are set by the mediator and paid separately.
✓Listed mediators currently pay no listing fee and no platform fee, and have no minimum case commitment.

5. Directory terms

Applications open

6. Application and review process

  1. Application. Submit through wiserworkplace.com/mediators (about ten minutes).
  2. Document review. Applicants attest to their credentials and practice history. Supporting documents and a certificate of insurance are requested by email before approval and before any first engagement. Wiser Workplace checks what can be checked against public sources, and at launch each directory listing says which credentials were checked that way; a credential that cannot be checked against a public source rests on the mediator's attestation.
  3. Brief orientation. Approved applicants complete a platform orientation (typically under an hour) covering technology, confidentiality framework, conflict-screening workflow, and case mechanics.
  4. Written directory agreement signed before approval. Confirms independent-contractor status, confidentiality, conflict and payer disclosure obligations, fee structure, and insurance commitments.
  5. Profile goes live. Directory listing is published on approval. At launch, eligible mediators appear on the list the parties rank.
  6. Annual renewal. At launch, a current certificate of insurance is requested by email each year. Mediator may update profile, specialties, and county availability at any time.

Onboarding time depends on document review and scheduling of the orientation.

7. Removal from the directory

Wiser Workplace removes mediators from the directory in any of the following circumstances:

Removal decisions are made by Wiser Workplace. Mediators removed for cause are notified in writing and may appeal in writing within 30 days.

Ready to apply?

Applications are open. The application takes about ten minutes.

Apply to the directory

Wiser Workplace is a technology platform, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. Mediators on the directory are independent professionals; Wiser Workplace does not supervise their work and does not guarantee any mediation outcome. The directory standards above are platform requirements; California does not issue a general state mediator license. At launch, each mediator's qualifications are shown on the directory listing. Parties are encouraged to confirm a mediator's credentials and fit directly with the mediator before engaging.