If you are interested in becoming a South Carolina Supreme Court Certified Family Court Mediator, the first step is to complete the Family Court Mediator Training Program sponsored by the South Carolina Bar.  This 40 hour program has been approved by the Commission on ADR and meets all the requirements of ADR Rule 20(b).

This course is not a classroom lecture but is a highly interactive program that will equip you with all the training and skills you will need to enter into the practice of mediation.

The two presenters, Bruce M. Poore and Haley Harden, will provide you with an opportunity to learn new skills and to improve your existing skills to get you off to a great start.

The program materials have been designed to cover all the relevant areas you need to be familiar with and understand, including but not limited to: mediation process; the role of the mediator; how to successfully organize a mediation conference; mediation skills; the nature of conflict and its effect on litigants; court procedures; substantive law; ethics; Online Dispute Resolution; and agreement writing.

This is not your traditional sit and take notes type of program.  There is extensive in-class participation in all parts of a mediation conference that will allow you to experience first hand what it is like to work as a mediator.

This is the best place to start your entry into Family Court mediation.

NOTE: TRAINING IS NOT THE SAME AS CERTIFICATION
Anyone may take these classes to become a well-trained mediator. However, training does not guarantee certification by the S.C. Board of Arbitrator & Mediator Certification; you must also be eligible for certification, of which training is only one requirement. For all Board certification requirements, please read closely court-annexed ADR Rule 19, available at www.scbar.org/adr, along with applications, roster, FAQs and much more. 

About the Trainers
Bruce M. Poore graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Philosophy in 1974 and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with a J.D. in 1977. 
From 1977 to 1979 Mr. Poore served as a law clerk to Associate Justice George T. Gregory, Jr. and during those two years he received a priceless education from a wonderful mentor. After completing his clerkship with Judge Gregory, he returned home to York County. Mr. Poore enjoyed a brief stint as Municipal Judge for the Town of Clover; a couple of years as an Assistant Solicitor for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit; and a lengthy tenure as a coach for the Northwestern High School Mock Trial team. He is a former certified Rider Coach for the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Rider's Edge New Riders Course and Skilled Riders Course. Mr. Poore is an Eagle Scout.
As with most small town attorneys, Mr. Poore began his practice by taking the legal work that walked in his door. Finding his primary interests to be working with the people and the issues involved in family disputes, he focused his practice in the area of Family Law. He is trained as a Collaborative Family Attorney and participates as a member of a team of collaborative divorce consultants in his home area. Mr. Poore currently serves as a volunteer Mediator for the York County Family Court Self Represented Litigant Mediation Program. Presently his practice is limited to Mediation and Collaborative Law.
In July 2012 Mr. Poore took his first Family Court Mediation Training Program with Ms. Bryan and Mr. Sarratt and also took the Circuit Court Civil Mediator Course in August 2013. Finding a calling in family mediation, he took the Family Court Mediation Training again in March 2016 and July 2017 and began to assist the trainers. 

Haley Harden, was born in Charlotte, NC and has lived in the surrounding area her entire life. She attended Gardner-Webb University from 2004-2008 where she played Division 1 softball and graduated Cum Laude. She attended law school at the Charlotte School of Law and graduated in 2011. She met her husband, Billy Harden, while in law school. Together they opened Harden Law Firm in 2013 where they practice family law in Fort Mill, South Carolina. They have one son, Logan, who is an avid golfer. Haley has transitioned her practice to mediations, almost exclusively, and enjoys helping parties reach an amicable resolution in Family Court.