Just Court ADR

Dear Friends of RSI,

Do you know what it feels like to join a group you have admired from afar and benefitted from for years? I do, and I’m so proud and humbled today to share with you what it means to me and how you can support our continued work too.

Every day, I imagine a world where all people in conflict have access to tools and support that empower them to strengthen relationships rather than further straining or destroying them. This year, I joined the incredible people at Resolution Systems Institute who believe this world is possible — and we think you might believe this too.

Consider this: If you or someone you love faced an overwhelming dispute, what options would you want fully available to help navigate it?

By making your gift today, you are helping RSI strengthen access to justice by enhancing court alternative dispute resolution systems. You are opening the door for more people to have more options for resolving conflict in ways that feel fair and facilitate mutual understanding. Through projects like our ODR Party Engagement (OPEN) Project and our Trust Project, RSI’s research turns ADR user feedback and researcher observations into practical and actionable guidance for those who run ADR programs.

Our guides, models, tools and programs are used by courts across the US to reduce barriers to justice, and we continually expand our projects to increase our impact.

Like most worthwhile endeavors, our success depends on a supportive network — and we need you on our team to keep breaking down barriers to justice.

So now, I invite you too to join RSI, by making a donation.

Your gift to RSI sustains our ability to conduct innovative research, provide high-quality mediation services, and offer the practical tools that courts and others rely on to implement systems-level change.

Thank you for believing in our vision and helping to create a reality of access to justice for everyone by enhancing our court ADR systems. Your contribution makes all the difference!

Please make your donation now at aboutrsi.org/donate, or send your check to RSI at 11 East Adams St., Suite 500, Chicago, Illinois, 60603. RSI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your donation is tax-deductible as provided by law.

Heather V. Fogg
Chief Executive Officer

Dear Friends,

As COVID-19 continues to ebb and flow unpredictably, many renters struggle to pay back rent and are facing housing insecurity. In turn, landlords, especially “mom and pop” landlords, are struggling to pay their mortgages and maintain their properties. Housing experts have been predicting a surge in eviction cases for over a year now, and that has begun to bear out in many places throughout the country. More than ever, courts are looking to mediation as a primary tool to help address these filings.

The expertise RSI has developed over more than 25 years of developing, operating and evaluating court mediation programs is now enabling us to play a vital role at the forefront of this crisis. Still, I have been at RSI since its inception, and I have never seen the pace and number of new court mediation programs we are developing, operating and evaluating.

In Illinois, which lifted its moratorium on eviction filings on October 3, RSI is: 

• Mediating between tenants and landlords to avoid eviction where possible
• Helping tenants and landlords obtain rental relief
• Directing tenants and landlords without lawyers to legal information

Nationally, RSI is:

• Sharing information on best practices in eviction mediation
• Providing courts with samples of court rules, forms, brochures, etc.
• Conducting an implementation study to guide courts in establishing eviction mediation programs
• Preparing to conduct robust evaluations of eviction mediation programs

Our eviction mediation work is a good example of what RSI is all about. We help courts and their community partners operate ADR systems that are fair, effective and accessible to all – particularly those cases in which one or both parties do not have lawyers.

Please join in me in making a contribution to RSI. You can click here or send your check to RSI at 11 East Adams Street, Suite 500, Chicago, Illinois, 60603. RSI is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, and your donation is tax-deductible as provided by law.

With sincere thanks,

Susan M. Yates
RSI Executive Director