What is Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services?
Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services (A.A.M.S.), a program of California Lawyers for the Arts (C.L.A.), has provided alternative dispute resolution to artists and entertainers since 1980. C.L.A. started A.A.M.S., which was the first alternative dispute resolution program in the country to specifically tailor its services for the arts and entertainment communities, as a natural extension of the organization's mission to provide preventative education and appropriate means of self help for artists, who often become involved in business arrangements without being fully informed of the legal consequences.
C.L.A. established a special alternative dispute resolution program for the arts after noticing that disputes involving artists, performers and arts organizations, while varied in legal content, may revolve around a set of central themes which would be foreign in the contexts of other dispute resolution programs. Recurring themes include the emotional issues involved with the content of artistic work, credit for work performed and the factors contributing to the production of the work.
What type of services does it provide?
A.A.M.S. provides counseling, conciliation, mediation, arbitration, neutral evaluation and meeting facilitation. The service has program coordinators at offices in San Francisco (415-775-7715), Los Angeles (310-998-5590) and Sacramento (916-442-6210) who help artists throughout the state. These program coordinators counsel clients in the use of negotiation techniques in order to help them resolve the dispute for themselves, offer conciliation assistance by communicating between parties by telephone, regular mail and fax, coordinate mediations by setting up a meeting at a neutral site with trained mediators or coordinate arbitrations or early neutral evaluations in accordance with the rules of California Code of Civil Procedure and rules created by the A.A.M.S. Advisory Committee. However, A.A.M.S. program coordinators are neutral and cannot give legal advice or representation.
What kind of disputes does it mediate?
While disputes with A.A.M.S. are generally arts-related, the organization's volunteer mediators have helped parties resolve many types of disputes. A.A.M.S. has helped parties resolve disputes involving landlord-tenant issues, payment or credit for work performed, ownership of artistic work or copyright, collaboration or partnership issues and fee collection.
How are mediation sessions started?
Program coordinators are available to help parties mediate their differences. Most cases are initiated when one party informs A.A.M.S. staff of the dispute and asks the coordinator to contact the second party. The program coordinator contacts the second party in order to explain the mediation process and invites him or her to consider it as a method for resolving the dispute. Once the program coordinator obtains the parties' consent to schedule a mediation session, he or she works with them to clarify the issues to be discussed, establishes agreement about who will attend and notifies the parties and mediators as to the date and time of the session. After the mediation session, the coordinator also follows up each party and sends them an evaluation form.
How much does it cost?
There is no fee for initiating mediation. A.A.M.S. mediation fees are payable per session and fees are determined individually with each party. As A.A.M.S. is a nonprofit organization with volunteer involvement, fees are based on a low sliding scale depending on the household income and organization income or budget.
More AAMS information:
Arbitration/Mediation Fees & Services
AAMS sample mediation clauses for contracts
Other AAMS resources - click for other national and California resources.
To: Potential Mediation Panel Applicant
RE: Mediation Panelist Application Process
Our program requires that all mediators, arbitrators and facilitators attend our training program - usually two or three days. We do not have a training session scheduled for the immediate future.
We ask all interested applicants to fill out a questionnaire concerning admission to our mediation and arbitration panel. At a future date, your application will be reviewed by our Board of Directors' Arbitration and Mediation Committee. If you are selected, you will be invited to participate in our next training program.
You can download a questionnaire in PDF format. In order to view and print our PDFs, you will need version 4.0 or better of Adobe's Acrobat Reader. You can download a free copy of the reader from Adobe's website.
We also offer a print-and-mail questionnaire that will display in your browser window. Print the form, fill it out and mail it to the address listed. Thanks!
To receive an application form if you are in northern California, please send us your name and mailing address via e mail to aams@calawyersforthearts.org or snail mail us at Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services, Fort Mason Center C-255, San Francisco, CA 94123, Attn. Program Administrator. If you are in the Sacramento area, however, please contact Ellen Taylor, Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services, 926 J Street, Suite 811, Sacramento CA 95814. In Southern CA, please contact Jerry Lazar, Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services, 1641 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404.
Please call if you have any further questions about our program. We appreciate your interest in working with us.
Webmaster: Josie Porter
© 2006 California Lawyers for the Arts, all rights reserved.