Counsel may now request that cases currently assigned to the trial calendar in Providence County be mediated by one of the justices who is currently assigned to the trial calendar.
Members of the bar who are interested in pursuing this option, should complete the COVID-19 Mediation Submission Form found on the Superior Court website.
The R.I. Superior Court has never ceased operations during the pandemic and in fact has undertaken significant measures to allow jury trials to continue on a limited basis in Providence County while the COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.
As a result of the pandemic, the court was forced to adapt quickly to a new set of social standards to protect and preserve the health, safety and welfare of court users and court employees. Specifically, this required implementing measures to restrict crowds, while at the same time safely providing necessary in-person access to justice for the most critical matters.
Given these limitations and the court’s current inability to schedule more than two jury trials at any one time, the court is offering this mediation program to assist counsel and their clients.
Superior Court Presiding Justice Alice Bridget Gibney authored the order implementing this new mediation program.
