2012 Registration Renewal Season
Information and Instructions
It is time to renew your neutral registration. The 2012 on-time renewal season runs November 1 through December 31, 2012. Any renewal applications submitted after the on-time renewal deadline of midnight, EST, December 31, 2012, will be considered late, and late fees will apply. The late renewal deadline is midnight, April 30, 2013. Neutrals who do not renew by that date will be considered inactive. All neutrals will need to renew except those few whose registration expiration date is 1/1/2014. Check your information by logging into your neutral account. Find login instructions here.
Just as last year, only online renewals will be accepted in order to streamline the renewal process. Online renewal should take most neutrals 5-10 minutes to complete.
Renewal Applications
Online renewal access will be available through your personal online accounts on November 1, 2012. The online renewal application is already populated with your personal information, so most of you will need only to enter your continuing education information before proceeding to payment. Find login instructions here.
Renewal Fees
The basic renewal fee is $125; it is $150 for those registered in domestic relations mediation. Note: if you submit your application online after midnight, EST, December 31, 2012, it will be considered late, and your renewal fee will double to $250 or $300. We don't want you to have to pay the late fee, so please submit your online application before December 31, 2012.
You will have a choice of paying your renewal fee with a credit card through PayPal or by submitting a check. You do not need to have or create a PayPal account to use the PayPal function.
Note: If you are a volunteer neutral – that is, you receive no compensation, no matter how small, providing ADR services within or outside a court program – you and your court-connection program director can submit a sworn affidavit with your renewal application to have your fee waived this renewal season. To be considered a volunteer, you must have provided ADR services to a Georgia court program in the past year. 2012 volunteer affidavits are available under “Forms and Applications.”
Continuing Education Requirements
All renewing neutrals must submit 3 hours of continuing education that they have taken in 2012. You cannot carry over CE hours from previous years or toward future years. CLE and CJE qualify as neutral CE as long as they were earned and not carried over. See the “Help! I Need CE!” link for information on all the ways you can earn CE credit.
Online Renewal Instructions
Renewing online is fast and easy because most of your personal information is already filled in online. All registered neutrals have an online neutral account created automatically for them. If you have never logged in to your online account, you must activate your account before using it the first time. Please see how to activate your existing neutral account by going to "Neutral Account Login Help" link. Then proceed as directed below.
To renew online, click on “Login To Your Neutral Account” at the top of the web page. The login page will appear in a new browser window. Enter your login ID and password. Your login ID is the first four letters of your last name and the last four digits of your SSN (i.e. smit1234). If your old password does not seem to work, try “password” (without quotation marks). If you have forgotten your personalized password, choose the “Forgot Password” function on the main login screen. After you are logged in, select “Renew Registration” in the menu. Follow the prompts and instructions carefully. Once you fill out and submit your online renewal form:
- A summary of your online renewal form will be created in your browser. Please print a copy for your records;
- If you paid through PayPal, please print a receipt of your PayPal renewal fee payment for your records.
Background Check Authorization
If you've already submitted your "permanent" authorization form, you don't have to send it to us again. If you haven't submitted your permanent authorization, please download, sign and send us the form, under "Forms and Applications." Scan and e-mail, fax or mail us the signed form. Your renewal application cannot be processed without authorization to complete the background check.
Lawful Presence Affidavit and ID
The lawful presence affidavit and supporting ID are required again this year, even if you submitted them with your last application. The General Assembly did not amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011 (O.C.G.A. § 50-36-1(e)), during the 2012 session. That means that all renewing neutrals will once again have to submit documentation that they are in the U.S. legally.
1. Execute a signed and sworn affidavit verifying your lawful presence in the United States. The affidavit to use for this purpose can be found at the GODR website under “Forms and Applications” or directly at this link:
2. Include with the affidavit a copy of a secure and verifiable document issued to you by a state or federal jurisdiction or recognized by the United States government and that is verifiable by federal or state law enforcement, intelligence, or homeland security agencies. A complete listing of acceptable secure and verifiable documents, as determined by the Office of the Attorney General, Georgia, can be found at the Attorney General’s website under “Key Issues,” then “Immigration Reports,” or directly at this link:
Registration Benefits
In addition to a professional credential issued by the Georgia Supreme Court, your registration as a neutral entitles you to several other exclusive benefits that can save you money, time and aggravation. These include group-rate professional liability insurance for neutrals; group and individual health, vision, and dental insurance, retirement products, and more. You will also continue to receive our new monthly e-newsletter, which is designed to enhance your knowledge and practice as a neutral. We are working to create more value-added programs for neutrals, courts and trainers.
Some Tips
If you are mailing us important information, first make copies and file them, then send the material via a service that provides tracking and delivery confirmation. If you are faxing us important information, keep the fax transmittal confirmation. If you are e-mailing us important information, request a return receipt when your message is delivered or read (many e-mail programs allow this) and save it. Or save our responses to your e-mails.
For More Information
Please contact us at
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or 404-463-3788 if you have further questions about the renewal process.
Key dates
Application Submitted November 1-December 31, 2012: On-time renewal, fees $125 (non-domestic), $150 (domestic), 3 CE hours required.
Application Submitted January 1-April 30, 2013: Late renewal application required, fees double to $250 (non-domestic), $300 (domestic), neutral in “lapsed” status until renewed, can still handle court-connected cases through April 30, 2013.
Application Received/Post-Marked May 1, 2013, and later: Reinstatement application required, fees double to $250 (non-domestic), $300 (domestic), 8 hours of CE required, neutral in “inactive” status until reinstated, cannot handle court-connected cases starting May 1, 2013.
