This post includes a variety of reflections from the Appreciating our Legacy and Engaging the Future conference in June.  The conference was co-sponsored by the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, and the Aggie Dispute Resolution Program, Texas A&M University School of Law in cooperation with a ton of law school DR programs.

It features summaries of four sessions as well as two personal reflections.  The writers include two veteran regular faculty members, a mid-career faculty member, an adjunct faculty member, and an enthusiastic law student.

Noam Ebner and the speakers in the plenary session, New Horizons for the ADR Field: Where Are We Headed, and Where Can We Go?, summarized their presentations.

Jackie Nolan-Haley, who was very inspired by the conference, summarized the program on ADR and Access to Justice.

Ava Abramowitz summarized a session on adjunct faculty, which she moderated.

Rebekah Gordon, a rising 3L at Northwestern, summarized a program on Technology’s Effect on How and What We Teach.

Andrew Mamo, a lecturer and clinical instructor at Harvard, talked about appreciating our legacy in two ways.

Rebekah Gordon wrote a reflection entitled, “The Future is Calling. Don’t Hang It Up Yet!,” feeling a little disheartening to hear that some people felt despair and apprehension, perceiving that the field is plateauing.  She wrote, “I wanted to scream at the top of the lungs in that very moment and say  — HEY, I’M OVER HERE! THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR MIDST!  The future was in the room.”

It’s not too late to share your thoughts about the conference.  Please write a comment below or a blog post that we will be happy to post.