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MWI District & Municipal Court Resource Page – Dorchester Municipal Court

Types of Cases:

Small Claims

Address:
510 Washington Street
Dorchester, MA 02124

Directions:

Directions:
T: Take the Red Line (Ashmont) to Shawmut Station, exit station on left to Melville Ave, walk 5 minutes to courthouse on Washington Street, OR take the Orange Line to Ruggles station and then take Bus #23 to 55 Washington Street which is near the Court.

Day/Time of Mediation:
Small Claims: Mondays at 9:00 AM

Key People at the Court

    • First Justice: Hon. Jonathan R. Tynes
    • Clerk Magistrate: Dana C. Rutherford
    • Assistant Clerk Magistrates: Anthony Owens and Patrick Mulligan

Forms

Please use the forms located in the General Forms list. You will need to complete an Agreement to Participate, a Fillable ADR Referral Form and, if an agreement is reached, the Mediation Memorandum.

Parking

Street parking is available. Parking on the main street has a 2-hour limit, while parking on side streets may be available without the 2-hour limit.

Pre-Mediation

After passing through security, stop by the Clerk’s Office on the first floor to find out where the Small Claims session is being held that day. 

There are typically two or three mediation programs that attend Dorchester Small Claims sessions on a rotating basis each week. Cases are referred among the programs according to a rotation schedule. You can view the rotation schedule posted in the Neutral Resources section of the Home page in the portal. You can also coordinate with the program coordinator from MMS or UMass Boston at the beginning of the Small Claims session to confirm the referral order for that day.  

At the start of the session, the clerk presiding over Small Claims will advise the parties that mediation services are available and will typically invite a representative from one of the mediation programs to explain the mediation process. Whoever receives the first case will also provide this overview.

Mediation

The mediators should identify a space for mediation prior to bringing the parties out of the courtroom. While there are several rooms available on the first and second floors, other mediation programs, attorneys, or court personnel often occupy these spaces. On occasion, the jury room or daycare center may be used for mediations. Conference rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is advisable to secure a space as early as possible. 

Post-Mediation

Copies of the completed forms can be made at the clerk’s office, which is located on the first floor. Then, all completed paperwork and the file needs to be returned to the clerk who referred the case. Inform the clerk of the outcome. 

Uploading paperwork: Please add the case information and upload the paperwork under the court case in the portal. If you are having trouble with this step or have mediated multiple cases in one session, please email the scans to MWI at courtmediation@mwi.org.

For More Information

Please contact Clarice Parsons at cparsons@mwi.org or 617-895-4030.

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