I often feel discouraged these days.  Although there have been some positive developments in the world lately, I find much of the news to be profoundly disturbing.  Closer to my own life, I sometimes feel disappointed in the lack (or slow pace) of progress in legal education and dispute resolution practice, education, and theory.

But I also try to appreciate the parts of the glass that are full and I want to note two of them here.

The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution just released the tentative program for its annual conference which is a symbol of the continuing vitality of our field.  A review of the program topics shows a broad reach of our work in many aspects of life.  I also like to see familiar names as well as many that I don’t recognize.  The conference is a highlight of my year and I look forward to it again this year.

Legal education reform is really tough, needing to overcome numerous obstacles.  But colleagues around the country continue to persevere with new innovations.  The Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers project’s annual conference last year highlighted curricular innovations at numerous schools and ETL posted a series of short videos from the conference.  Check ‘em out.

What do you see in the part of the glass that’s full?