Academy of Court-Appointed Masters to Open Its Membership to Help People Become Special Masters and Expand the Profession

ROCKVILLE, Md., September 2, 2021 (Newswire.com) - The Academy of Court-Appointed Masters announced today that it will be offering membership to people who have not previously served as special masters. This move is one of several steps the Academy is taking to improve the profession and make special masters an effective and integral part of judicial administration. 

ACAM President Carlos A. González also announced that, as part of this effort, the Academy has hired Merril Hirsh of HirshADR PLLC (the Chairman of the American Bar Association Judicial Division Lawyer's Conference Special Masters Committee) as its first executive director.

As González explained: "As the premier organization for special masters in America, ACAM is uniquely positioned to provide an extraordinary service." The Academy is dedicating itself to helping:

• lawyers and experts become special masters;
• special masters improve their skills and serve their mission; and
• the special master profession serve a recognized, accepted, and valued part of judicial administration.

ACAM will seek to create a diverse profession with members drawn from a wide array of background and experiences; to train and mentor them to assist parties, judges, and court administrators address problems in accordance with the highest professional standards; and to use their expertise in partnership with judges, court administrators, organizations, and practitioners as a creative force to help secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of disputes.

"We expect to be soon announcing the first training sessions and program of mentorship for a new generation of special masters, and will be reaching out to other organizations involved in judicial administration and dispute resolution to work together on projects and programs," Hirsh noted. 

People interested in learning more about ACAM and its plans should contact Mr. Hirsh, ExecDir@courtappointedmasters.org, (202) 448-9020.

Source: Academy of Court-Appointed Masters