The Beginning

In 1986, the King County Bar Association put together a task force to develop alternative dispute resolution services for King County. Mediation was beginning to be well known around the country, particularly in Seattle, and the time was ripe for the development of community-based mediation programs. The members of the task force were a diverse group of attorneys, mediators, and community activists. The task force looked at programs around the country for ideas and inspiration, raised some funds, and started the King County Dispute Resolution Center in 1987.

The mission of the Dispute Resolution Center was to provide mediation services to King County. Initially, the mediators were all attorneys, all of whom volunteered their time – from the beginning the DRC's philosophy was to have volunteers provide its mediation services. The only paid staff person was the executive director, and since the DRC had no office space, his office was his car!

In 1987, the DRC acquired its first board of directors and its first office, a small room donated by the Pilgrim Congregational Church. In response to requests from the community, the DRC began offering training in mediation for its volunteers.

Expanding Services

The DRC has always been responsive to the needs of the community. The mediators who answered the phones at the DRC in the early years soon found that people who called wanted more than just to schedule a mediation. They wanted to talk to someone about the disputes they were in, and to get some help in figuring out how to handle the disputes on their own.

Recognizing this need, in 1988 the DRC began a training program for telephone conciliators. These are volunteers who are the initial telephone contact for people who call the DRC, who listen to their concerns, help them think of ways to proceed, call the other party to discuss the case, and even mediate cases over the phone.

In late 1991, the King County court system invited the DRC into the small claims courts in King County, where mediators from the DRC still serve. We work with plaintiffs and defendants to resolve their disputes without having to present their case before a judge, lightening the load on the courts.

The DRC also began offering group facilitation services, in which we help groups work through conflict and plan for the future. We have assisted with conflicts within or between groups, and have facilitated public meetings.

In 1994, the DRC moved from the Pilgrim Congregational Church into offices in the Trianon Ballroom in Belltown.

In 1998, the DRC expanded its training mission, offering training sessions in mediation for the general community as well as its own volunteers.

In 1999, the DRC moved into its current offices in the Central District, easily accessible by bus and close to the freeways.

In 2000, the DRC handled approximately 3,200 cases, and the number has been rising by about 5% per year.

The Present

In 2002, the DRC handled 3,660 cases, of which 1,000 were small-claims court mediations, 280 were community mediations, ten were domestic mediations, four were group facilitations, and the remainder were problem-solving or informational calls with individual clients. Trainers held 48 training sessions with a total of 766 participants, and speakers gave 22 presentations to a total of 890 attendees.

On Into the Future

The DRC is developing and expanding its divorce and anti-harassment mediation programs, and working to become more visible in the community.