Qualifications for Registration as a Neutral Mediator

In her role as mediator and arbitrator at Miles Mediation and Arbitration Services, Judge Patricia Stone specializes in civil litigation disputes, including wrongful death, employment, and personal injury cases, as well as domestic cases. Awarded a Savannah Police Department Commendation and Certificate of Merit while serving as an Assistant District Attorney early in her career, Judge Patricia Stone is currently registered as a neutral (mediator) with the state of Georgia.

No certification or licensing is required for mediators to work in a private setting in the state of Georgia. Like many other states, Georgia requires neutrals associated with court cases to be registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution (ODR). 

The general qualifications for registration as a neutral by ODR include significant training hours, observation by a veteran mediator and letters of recommendation. Qualification as a neutral for divorce and custody cases requires further specialized training in addition to meeting the general registration criteria. Qualifying as a neutral for arbitration requires still more supplementary specialized training. Patricia Stoned has completed all of the necessary training to qualify her as a mediator and an arbitrator of both civil and domestic disputes. 

Patricia Stone and other registered mediators representing a variety of disciplines are listed with the ODR for the court's reference.

Honored Judge a Product of Mercer University School of Law

 

The Honorable Patricia Stone has garnered many awards as Judge of the Juvenile Court of Chatham County in Savannah, Georgia. These include the Georgia Senate honoring her in Senate Resolution 59 in 2015 for her outstanding endeavors in the community of Chatham County, WJCL’s Champion of Change award, and the Georgia Child Placement Conference’s 2009 Georgia Leadership Award. Senior Judge Patricia Stone earned her juris doctor from the Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University in 1995, where she was awarded Outstanding Law Student for Academics and Leadership.

Named after 1901 Mercer Law School graduate Walter F. George, a former justice of the Georgia State Supreme Court and later U.S. Senator, Mercer Law was founded in 1873 and is one of the nation’s oldest law schools. It is the state of Georgia’s first law school to receive American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation.

Located in Macon, Georgia, Mercer Law has around 440 students and is part of the 12 colleges and schools of Mercer University. The law school is nationally acclaimed for its outstanding programs in public service, moot court, legal writing, and ethics and professionalism. It hosts the Legal Writing Institute, The Journal of Southern Legal History, and the National Criminal Defense College.

Widely regarded as an excellent model for law schools throughout the United States, Mercer Law’s Woodruff Curriculum is a recipient of ABA’s Gambrell Professionalism Award.