This course is designed to provide training in the professional standards required for arbitration and ethics complaint proceedings and to explain the role of the Grievance Committee in ethics complaint proceedings.

This course is divided into two chapters:

• Regional Professional Standards Training
• Action of Grievance Committee

The objectives of this course are:

• To identify the Association committees responsible for handling arbitration and ethics complaint proceedings
• To explain the means by which the Association is authorized to conduct arbitration and ethics complaint proceedings
• To discuss possible penalties that can be imposed on REALTORS® and MLS members for ethics violations
• To provide an overview of how arbitration proceedings are conducted
• To provide an overview of the responsibilities of arbitrators
• To explain the need for parallel hearings and how they are handled
• To identify reference materials that contain guidelines for handling ethics violations
• To explain processes through which an early resolution of an ethics or arbitration matter can be achieved
• To explain the need for confidentiality in professional standards matters
• To identify actions that merit a disciplinary proceeding
• To identify possible forms of discipline that may result from a disciplinary proceeding
• To explain the need for due process in disciplinary proceedings
• To explain the procedure for filing an ethics complaint
• To explain the role of the Grievance Committee in ethics complaint proceedings
• To detail procedures of the Grievance Committee in handling an ethics complaint
• To detail procedures of the Grievance Committee in handling a withdrawn complaint
• To discuss information considered by the Grievance Committee in making a determination about a complaint
• To identify actions related to ethics complaint proceedings that are not responsibilities of the Grievance Committee