Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine has proclaimed March 2008 as Mediation Month.

Commonwealth of Virginia

WHEREAS, the Virginia Mediation Network, the Virginia Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution, the Restorative Justice Association of Virginia, and the Virginia Association for Community Conflict Resolution are professional entities that promote the advancement of dispute resolution services available to citizens, families, businesses and government bodies; and

WHEREAS, with the continuing efforts of the Virginia Administrative Dispute Resolution Act Interagency Advisory Council, public bodies of the Commonwealth are demonstrating a growing commitment to innovation in problem-solving and the application of creative dispute resolution options when faced with complex issues and disputes; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Alternative Dispute Resolution Joint Committee of the Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar supports education of the Bench, the Bar, law students, and the public on the advantages of appropriate dispute resolution options and encourages collaborative practice; and

WHEREAS, the Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Committee of the Virginia State Bar supports the use of mediation or arbitration to resolve fee disputes between attorneys and clients; and

WHEREAS, mediation practices and skills are being applied in the workplace by leaders, managers and supervisors who have embraced the power and efficiency of open communication and collaborative problem-solving; and

WHEREAS, non-profit community mediation centers, individual mediators and other dispute resolution practitioners, through their significant expertise in helping stakeholders find durable solutions to important issues, have demonstrated the value of the field of alternative dispute resolution; and

WHEREAS, mediation, and the principles and practices that it embodies, can be a critical tool for peacemaking between individuals, groups, units, neighborhoods or countries, and the Commonwealth of Virginia continues to be a national leader in those efforts;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Timothy M. Kaine, do hereby recognize March 2008 as MEDIATION MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.