About this service
The status of a mediator in Georgia acquires force not by self-declaration but through a system of certification and registration established by law: Articles 2, 14 and 18 of the Law on Mediation determine who may be a mediator, what training and certificate the unified registry of mediators requires, how the self-regulation of the Mediators Association operates, and how this system took shape during the transitional period. This page assembles that framework for those planning a mediator's career or verifying a mediator's status.
Who is a mediator and what is the unified registry
Article 2 defines the term precisely: a mediator is a natural person registered in the unified registry of mediators who meets the requirements provided by law and agrees to conduct mediation — regardless of that person's status and of the manner of election or appointment. The unified registry of mediators is the common list of members of the Association of Mediators of Georgia maintained by the Association. Article 14 gives this system its institutional foundation: the Association is a legal entity of public law created on the basis of the law, founded on membership, which carries out the self-regulation of mediators, and its members are precisely the mediators registered in the unified registry.
Conditions of registration and the certification programme
Article 14 describes the gateway to the registry clearly: a capable natural person who has not been convicted, who has completed mediation/mediator training in accordance with the mediators certification programme and who holds a certificate issued by the Mediators Association may be registered in the unified registry. The certification programme must establish minimum standards for the training and determine its content and duration, the qualifications of trainers and the procedure for verifying the knowledge obtained through the training; the programme is approved by the Association. With the Association's consent, the right to organise and conduct training belongs to an institution or organisation whose proposed standard meets the conditions of the programme; the Association also determines the list of international programmes whose training meets those conditions.
Registry data and the Association's self-regulation
The registry is published on the Association's website and contains at least the mediator's first and last name, year of birth, qualification or academic status, and the date of registration in the registry — so a party can verify a mediator's status publicly. The supreme organ of the Association is the general assembly composed of the mediators registered in the registry; its functions include approving the statute, electing the chair, forming the executive board and the members of the ethics commission, approving the certification programme and the system of mediators' continuing professional development, approving the unified standard of ethics and the rules of disciplinary proceedings, hearing the executive board's annual report and setting the membership fee. Through these functions the Association governs the entire profession — from entry to accountability — on the principle of self-regulation.
The transitional period: how the registry was formed
Article 18 reflects the timetable of the system's formation. The High Council of Justice of Georgia was to ensure the approval of the form of the registry by 1 October 2019, and by 1 December 2019 the registration in the registry of a capable person who had not been convicted, who held a document confirming completion of mediation/mediator training of no fewer than 40 hours and who had conducted at least 1 court mediation in the last 2 years before the law's entry into force. By 15 December 2019 the first assembly of persons registered in the registry was to be held; it is competent if at least half of the registered members attend and takes decisions by a majority of those present; where decisions failed, the High Council convenes the next assembly within 10 days of the first. Mediations started before 1 January 2020 were to be completed under the rules in force until then.
Frequently asked questions
These questions come both from future mediators and from parties who encounter the certification system and the unified registry in practice.
What does a natural person need to enter the registry?
Legal capacity, absence of a conviction, mediation/mediator training completed under the certification programme, and a certificate of the Mediators Association. These four conditions together form the basis of registration as a mediator.
Where can mediator training be taken?
With the Association's consent, an institution or organisation whose proposed standard meets the conditions of the certification programme may organise and conduct the training; the Association also determines the corresponding international programmes.
What data is public in the registry?
The mediator's first and last name, year of birth, qualification or academic status and the date of registration — this data is published on the Association's website and lets a party verify the mediator's status.
What was the High Council of Justice's role in building the system?
Under the transitional provisions, the High Council approved the form of the registry, ensured the registration of persons and the holding of the first assembly — until the transition to the Association's self-regulation.
How We Help on Legal.ge
If you are planning a mediator's career, we explain the stages of certification and registration, assess your compliance with the law's requirements and plan your route to qualifying training. If you are a party choosing a mediator, we help you interpret the registry data correctly, compare candidates against qualification criteria and frame the conditions of mediator selection in the agreement on mediation. Contact us and receive concrete advice for your situation.