I recently published It’s Time to Make Important Upgrades to Our Mediation Curriculum, which notes significant changes in American mediation practice in the past five decades and suggests that law school faculty upgrade our mediation instruction accordingly. Modern Mediation Practice in American Legal Cases is a two-page summary of that article, which was published in … Continue reading Modern Mediation Practice in American Legal Cases
Many of us know Ava Abramowitz, a retired Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington. She recently gave a presentation at the Garibaldi Inn of Court, “Making Words Matter.” The communication behaviors discussed in her presentation can give mediators, lawyers, disputants and litigants more tools to communicate. and in the process, help them develop additional … Continue reading Ava Abramowitz on Making Words Matter
It’s not breaking news that law school graduates generally have difficulty working with clients, don’t understand the “big picture” of client matters, and aren’t well trained in negotiation. The problem for law students and law schools is exacerbated by the transition to the NextGen bar exam and a movement in various states to use alternative … Continue reading Two Short Articles Proposing Courses Teaching Preparation and Advocacy in Dispute Resolution
From Ava Abramowitz: The DC Circuit of the US Court of Appeals is looking for a new director of workplace relations. The director provides confidential and impartial assistance to judges and court employees, including Federal Public Defender’s Office employees, on workplace conduct matters. The director works closely with the Employment Dispute Resolution Coordinators (EDRCs) to … Continue reading Help Wanted: Director of Workplace Relations
Are you going to teach a law school mediation course this fall? If so, I suggest that you read It’s Time to Make Important Upgrades to Our Mediation Curriculum right away. It’s also relevant to ADR survey, negotiation, and lawyering courses. The article includes numerous suggestions and links to handy resources that you can incorporate … Continue reading If You Will Teach a Law School Mediation Course This Fall, Read This Article Right Away
This 4-page article riffs on comments at a program at the recent ABA Section of Dispute Resolution conference to illustrate how oxymoronic the terms “facilitative,” “evaluative,” and “empowerment” have become. When people use these terms, we kinda, sorta, probably think we know what they mean. But we don’t really know. The article suggests ways that … Continue reading Oxymorons R Us
St. Catherine University in St. Paul hired Jacqueline Font-Guzmán to serve in the inaugural role of senior vice president of equity and belonging, beginning August 1. She currently serves as the inaugural vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion and a tenured professor at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in … Continue reading Jacqueline Font-Guzmán Takes New Position at St. Catherine University
I recently gave a presentation about how mediators use technology in their practices. The program was organized by the Technology and Mediation Committees of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution and co-sponsored by seven other committees. I’m sure no tech expert but I used the program to collect data from practitioners who use technology in … Continue reading A Snapshot of How Mediators Use Technology These Days
Here are excerpts from an article in the ABA Journal: Oregon’s new Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination that allows ABA-accredited law school graduates to join the state’s bar by working closely with a supervising attorney instead of taking the bar exam is gaining traction with candidates and potential employers. … The additional pathway allows applicants to … Continue reading Oregon’s Alternative Pathway to the Bar Proves Popular
This short article summarizes a program entitled Pracademically Speaking: Incorporating Real-World Legal Practice Into the Curriculum at the Legal Educators Colloquium during the annual conference of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. Debra Berman and Denise Peterson (South Texas College of Law Houston) and I gave the presentations. The article describes problems with legal curricula, … Continue reading Preparing Law Students for Real-World Practice
