In 1991 our group organized a large highly successful conference for ADR practitioners held at Howard County Community College. Over 120 individual practitioners attended.  During this time a groundbreaking, definitive decision was made not to align with and join a SPIDR chapter. 

Lagging far behind so many States in breadth and depth of ADR applications, our group recognized so much work had yet to be done in Maryland.  ADR had just begun to appear and there were many questions about prospective court rules and regulatory issues.

Until the early 1990s the organization struggled, falling into an almost dormant state.  Finally, a group of mediators met to develop a consensus:  How is mediation progressing in the various court systems throughout Maryland. Non-court mediators asked to participate and the group became active.  Our group became known as  The Maryland Committee on Dispute Resolution.  Meetings were held in Columbia four or five times per year.  Interest grew.  Officers were nominated and procedures established.  The Maryland Committee for Dispute Resolution became open to people interested in all types of dispute resolution.  Peer support and informal trainings were offered to members and non-members alike.   

MCDR grew in lockstep with the courts' interest in using mediation as the primary ADR technique.  The courts determined that standards must be established for court mediators. In the mid-1990s the Rules Committee of the Circuit Courts of Maryland proposed changes to the rules (S73A - originally established in 1991) concerning court mediators. These proposed changes greatly concerned MCDR, resulting in MCDR acting, as it still does as a powerful advocate for ADR professionals.  Determined to have an impact on the decisions made by the Court of Appeals, MCDR invested time, energy and member training skills into educating, lobbying, and testifying before the court of appeals. MCDR was successful in containing and helping to define the approach used by the court.  As a result, MCDR, evolved into the Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution becoming a cohesive, tightly focused organization operating as a not-for-profit, Federally Tax Exempt 501(c)(3) corporation .