Dispute Resolution Services of Tarrant County (now DRS of North Texas) was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in November of 1982. In 1983 DRS contracted with Tarrant County to become the designated Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) for the County, as authorized by the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. The organization was the third of seventeen publicly-funded DRCs in the State of Texas. DRCs were established in Texas for the peaceable and expeditious resolution of citizen disputes. The majority of our funding comes from Tarrant County's Alternative Dispute Resolution Fund, created by a surcharge on civil case filing fees, as authorized by Section 154.052 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. Today, DRS North Texas serves Tarrant County and surrounding communities by offering high-quality, low-cost mediation and training services. In addition to court-referred mediations, we offer pre-litigation mediations which provide community members an alternative to filing a court case. We also conduct victim-offender mediations for the Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Court, Truancy Prevention mediations, conflict resolution training for participants in the FACT (Fathers and Children Together) grant program, and other community services. The agency also provides training services, including Basic Mediation Training and Family Training in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. DRS North Texas was one of the first DRCs in Texas to accredit its mediation courses with the State Bar of Texas. Basic and Family Mediation classes are held in the spring and fall.