Employment Of Presiding Official

Effective March 1, 1997 A neutral acting as a presiding official shall be an attorney in good standing licensed to practice in the state of Indiana. The parties by agreement may select a presiding official. However, unless otherwise agreed, the court shall provide to the parties a panel of three (3) individuals. Each party shall strike the name of one (1) individual from the panel list. The party initiating the lawsuit shall strike first. The remaining individual shall be named by the court as the presiding official. Unless otherwise agreed between the parties and the presiding official, the court shall set the rate of compensation for the presiding official. Costs of the summary jury trial are to be divided equally between the parties and are to be paid within thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the summary jury trial.