claiming to be aggrieved. (Gov. Code, §§ 12965, subd. (a); 12981, subd. (a).) Prior to filing a civil action, the department must require all parties to participate in mandatory dispute resolution in the CRD's internal Dispute Resolution Division, free of charge to the parties, in an effort to resolve the dispute without litigation. (Id.) Dispute resolution is mandatory for all cause cases for which the CRD will file a civil action. Mandatory dispute resolution is conducted behind a firewall by the CRD's attorney mediators. In civil actions alleging employment or housing discrimination, the court, in its discretion, may award to the prevailing party, including the CRD, reasonable attorney's fees and costs, including expert witness fees. (Gov. Code, §§ 12965, subd. (b); 12989.2.) Right to Sue In order to file a discrimination lawsuit in the state of California, a right to sue must be obtained from the agency. The lawsuit must be filed in a state court within one year from receipt of the notice. Right to sue notices are issued when the CRD does not investigate the complaint. Any person claiming to be aggrieved by an alleged unlawful employment, public accommodation, or housing practice may file a verified complaint for investigation with the CRD. (Gov. Code, §§ 12960, 12963, 12980.) Filing an administrative complaint with the CRD within one year of an alleged unlawful practice (Gov. Code, § 12960, subd. (d)), and receipt of a right-to-sue (Gov. Code, § 12965, subd. (b)), are prerequisites to filing a private action for employment discrimination under the FEHA. Notable Cases Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Law School Admission Council, Inc. In this case, the CRD (then known as the DFEH) filed suit to halt ongoing harm to individuals with disabilities who sought to enter the legal profession. DFEH alleged that the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) which administers the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) subjected test takers who seek accommodations to onerous documentation requirements, denied requests for reasonable accommodations, and provided different and less desirable score reports to test takers who received the accommodation of additional test time. The complaint arose from a two-year government investigation by DFEH which began in January 2010. Early in the investigation, Phyllis W. Cheng, DFEH Director, personally issued a Director's complaint alleging that LSAC denied reasonable accommodations to prospective test takers with disabilities. After the Director's complaint, the DFEH filed suit and then litigated the