Ga. Alt. Dis. Res. R. VI
There shall be no uniform, state-wide compensation system at this time. Local courts will have the responsibility for developing and testing a variety of approaches to compensation consistent with guidelines that may be established by the Commission. However, every court program in which neutrals are compensated by the parties must provide ADR services free of charge to indigent parties. All compensated neutrals should contribute some pro bono hours to the program.
Ga. Alt. Dis. Res. R. VI
Commentary: Although the contribution of volunteers to ADR programs throughout the country is inestimable, the Georgia Supreme Court believes that the comprehensive system of statewide ADR services envisioned by these rules cannot be handled entirely by unpaid volunteers. This court is convinced that in order to build and maintain a statewide system of ADR services of the extent and quality desired, there must be mechanisms for compensating neutrals at appropriate levels. This court also believes that the Georgia ADR program will require a combination of volunteers, salaried in-house neutrals, and free market neutrals in order to meet the highly varied demands and circumstances of courts in urban, rural, and suburban areas.