Face-to-Face Mediation Programs
In 1983, the Attorney General's Office pioneered the Face-to-Face (FTF) Mediation Program, adding a more formal mediation process to the continuum of services that help consumers resolve disputes. The Attorney General's Office currently funds 13 FTF community mediation programs serving more than two-thirds of the cities and towns and more than 30 District Courts throughout the Commonwealth.
AGO-funded programs are located in Beverly, Brockton, Brookline, Cambridge, Cape Cod, Framingham, Greenfield, Haverhill, Leominster, Lowell, Orange, Somerville, and Springfield. Like the Local Consumer Programs, they are funded by grants from the Attorney General's Office. They provide a traditional, face-to-face mediation service to support the resolution of consumer and landlord/tenant disputes.
The mediators are trained and certified in mediation skills and techniques in compliance with statutory requirements. Mediations are confidential and can be conducted at various stages of disputes. Consumers can seek mediation through a FTF program after an unsuccessful LCP mediation or before or after filing a complaint in the Small Claims Court.
FTF programs receive their cases from the Attorney General's Office and through referrals from the courts, community agencies, and LCPs. Mediation sessions are held at small claims courts, as well as at the FTF program's offices. Each program also recruits, trains, and supervises a pool of volunteer mediators.
The Attorney General’s Office provides oversight and support of the FTF programs through program monitoring, technical support and training, and site visits.
For a list of Face-to-Face Mediation Programs by city/town:
- Cross Index of Face-to-Face Mediation Programs, Fiscal Year 2010 (PDF)
- Cross Index of Face-to-Face Mediation Programs, Fiscal Year 2010 (RTF)
Face-to-Face Mediation Programs
Beverly
North Shore Community Mediation, Inc.
100 Cummings Center, Suite 307J
Beverly, MA 01915
Cynthia McClorey, Program Director
Phone: (978) 232-1212
Email address: info@nsmediation.org
Website: www.nsmediation.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Gloucester, Salem and Peabody (including the towns of Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Lynnfield, Middleton, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, and Wenham).
Brockton
Greater Brockton Center for Dispute Resolution
215 Main St., Suite 207
P.O. Box 7610
Brockton, MA 02303-7610
Ron Fredey, Program Coordinator
Julie Doyle, Mediation Director
Phone: (508) 897-2867
Email: mediators@gbcdr.org
Website: www.gbcdr.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Brockton (including the towns of Abington, Avon, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Franklin, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Holbrook, Kingston, Mansfield, Middleboro, Milton, Needham, Norton, Pembroke, Plympton, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Rockland, Roslindale, Sharon, South Easton, Taunton, West Bridgewater, Weymouth, and Whitman).
Brookline
Primary Address:
Metropolitan Mediation Services
40 Webster Place
Brookline, MA 02445
Phone: 617-241-0300
Alternate Address and Parent Corporation Home:
Brookline Community Mental Health Center, Inc.
41 Garrison Road
Brookline, MA 02445
Phone: 617-277-8107
Metropolitan Mediation Services Director: Joshua Jacks
Brookline Community Mental Health Center Executive Director: Cindy Price
Email address: consumer@metromediation.org
Website: www.metromediation.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Boston, Brookline and Newton (including the towns of Boston, Brookline, and Newton).
Cambridge
Community Dispute Settlement Center, Inc.
60 Gore Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
Gail Packer, Executive Director
Phone: (617) 876-5376
Email: cdscinfo@communitydispute.org
Website: www.communitydispute.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Cambridge, Waltham, and Woburn (including the towns of Arlington, Belmont, Burlington, Cambridge, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Waltham, Watertown, Weston, Wilmington, Winchester, and Woburn).
Cape Cod
Cape Cod Dispute Resolution Center Inc.
P.O. Box 193
(80 Rte. 6A, Unit #3)
Orleans, MA 02653
Nancy Fleming, Executive Director
Debora Fish, Mediation Director
Phone/Fax: (508) 240-1717
Email address: info@capemediation.org
Website: www.capemediation.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Barnstable, Falmouth, Nantucket, and Orleans (including the towns of Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Nantucket, Orleans, Provincetown Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, and Yarmouth).
Framingham
Framingham Mediation
600 Concord Street
Framingham, MA 01702
Susan Ostberg, Program Director
Phone: (508) 872-9495
Email address: info@framinghammediation.org
Website: www.framinghammediation.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Framingham, Marlborough and Natick (including the towns of Acton, Ashland, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lexington, Lincoln, Marlboro, Maynard, Milford, Natick, Sherborn, Stow, Sudbury, and Wayland).
Greenfield
The Mediation & Training Collaborative
277 Main St. Suite 401
Greenfield, MA 01301-3267
Cheryl Fox, Co-Director
Betsy Williams, Co-Director
Phone: (413) 774-7469
Fax: (413) 774-7460
Email address: mediation@communityaction.us
Website: www.mediationandtraining.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Greenfield, Holyoke and Northampton (including the towns within Franklin and Hampshire Counties).
Haverhill
North Essex Mediators of Community Action, Inc.
145 Essex St.
Haverhill, MA 01832
Thomas Joy, Program Director
Phone: (978) 373-1971
Fax: (978) 373- 8966
Email address: tjoy@comminutyactioninc.org
Website: www.communityactioninc.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Haverhill, Ipswich, Newburyport, and Lawrence (including the towns of Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Byfield, Georgetown, Groveland, Hamilton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lawrence, Methuen, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Rowley, Salisbury, Topsfield, West Newbury, and West Boxford).
Leominster
Mediation Services of North Central Mass., Inc.
853 North Main Street
Leominster, MA 01453
Elaine Sheerin, Executive Director
Phone: (978) 466-9595
Fax: (978) 342-2524
Fax: (978) 466-9522
Email address: mediation.ncm@verizon.net
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Dudley, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster (including the towns of Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Templeton, and Westminster), and Worcester (including the towns of Auburn, Barre, Bellingham, Brookfield, Charlton, Dudley, Douglas, East Brookfield, Gilbertville, Grafton, Hardwick, Holden, Hopedale, Leicester, Mendon, Millbury, Milford, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Upton, Ware, Warren, Webster, West Brookfield, and Worcester).
Lowell
Middlesex Community College Law Center
33 Kearney Square
Lowell, MA 01852
Ken Dunn, Program Director
Martha Wright, Coordinator
Phone: (978) 656-3342
Fax: (978) 441-1749
Email address: Mediation@middlesex.mass.edu
Website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/lawcenter/mediation
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Ayer, Concord, Lowell, and Waltham (including the towns of Ashby, Ayer, Billerica, Burlington, Dracut, Dunstable, Chelmsford, Groton, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, North Reading, Pepperell, Reading, Shirley, Townsend, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford, Wilmington, and Woburn).
Orange
Quabbin Mediation
13 South Main Street
Orange, MA 01364
Sharon Tracy, Executive Director
Phone: 978-544-6142
Toll-free: 888-924-2600
Email address: sharon@quabbinmediation.org
Website: www.quabbinmediation.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Orange, Eastern Hampshire, Palmer, and Winchendon (including towns of Amherst, Athol, Belchertown, Brimfield, East Longmeadow, Erving, Granby, Hadley, Hampden, Holland, Leverett, Ludlow, Monson, New Salem, Orange, Palmer, Pelham, Warwick, Wendell, Wilbraham, and Winchendon).
Somerville
Somerville Mediation Program
81 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
Alice Comack, Program Director
Marcia Somerset, Coordinator
Phone: (617) 625-6600, ext. 6146
Fax: (617) 629-4763
Website: www.somervillecdc.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Somerville (including the towns of Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Nahant, Revere, Saugus, Somerville, Swampscott, and Wakefield).
Springfield
Dispute Resolution Services, Inc.
115 State St.
P.O. Box 30023
Springfield, MA 01103
Leo Florian, Executive Director
Phone: (413) 787-6480
Fax: (413) 788-9685
Email address: ftfmp@drsmediation.org
Website: www.drsmediation.com
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Chicopee, Springfield and Westfield (including the towns of Agawam, Blandford, Chester, Chicopee, Granville, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick, Springfield, Tolland, Wales, West Springfield, and Westfield).