Who’d expect Netflix to produce a movie about dispute system design? Or that it would be really good? Its docudrama, Worth, about the process of designing and implementing the 9/11 Victims’ Compensation Fund, actually is terrific. (Note that this What-I’m-Reading series isn’t limited to just reading stuff.) It is based on Kenneth Feinberg’s book, What … Continue reading What I’m Reading – Worth
The majority opinion in the Breslin case led me to write my piece, Courts Should Make Mediation Good Samaritans Not Frankensteins, which led the CPR Mediation Committee to sponsor a program, Consequences of Not Participating in Court Ordered Mediation: What Is Fair? I was one of the speakers, along with Lauren A. Jones, ADR Coordinator … Continue reading Charting a Middle Course for Court-Connected Mediation
This was the question I had to answer when planning a lecture. I was a speaker in a course offered by the Universidad Monteavila in Caracas, Venezuela. My wonderful colleague, Rafael Gely, organized this collaboration with Missouri’s DR Center to provide a series of speakers, including me. My Venezuelan colleague told me that I could … Continue reading If You Had Only One Hour to Describe ADR, What Would You Say?
Since writing my recent short article, Courts Should Make Mediations Good Samaritans Not Frankensteins, I have been thinking about how to maximize the substantial benefits of court-connected mediation while minimizing the risks of coercion. Most mediators, mediation program administrators, and courts are conscientious about providing appropriate, high-quality mediation services. Unfortunately, with some frequency, there have … Continue reading Proposal for Standard Explanation in Mediation
Lots of programs coming up! April 27, 8:45-10:00 am Pacific Time – Book Launch for Dispute System Design book, with Jan Martinez, Lisa Blomgren Amsler (co-authors) and Paul Brest, Jay Folberg, Grande Lum, and Ayelet Sala. Note that the flyer includes a discount code for the book. They are developing a teaching supplement this summer … Continue reading Educational Programs Galore!
Here are two programs you might want to tune into next week. On Tuesday, March 2, at 1 pm Eastern Time, I will give a free presentation sponsored by the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s Early Dispute Resolution Committee, entitled Evolution of Early Dispute Resolution and Where We Are Now. Click here for the zoom … Continue reading Two Upcoming Programs
The International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) announced the following recipients of its 2021 Awards for contributions to ADR at a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, as part of CPR’s Annual Meeting. Outstanding Contribution to Diversity in ADR: Gail Wright, Esq. Outstanding Book in the Field of ADR: America’s Peacemakers: The … Continue reading CPR Awards
GFOI Peter Phillips, the director of New York Law School’s ADR Skills Program, is a terrific interviewer and he is continuing the series of lunch time conversations with leading figures in our field. Here’s an announcement of the next series of interviews. We are pleased to announce the fourth series of this popular event. Every … Continue reading New York Law School Wednesday Conversations
This post reviews a wonderful new book, the “new edition” of America’s Peacemakers: The Community Relations Service and Civil Rights by Bertram Levine and Grande Lum, published by the University of Missouri Press. Levine, who died in 2006, published the first edition covering events up to 1990 in Part I. Lum discusses events since then, … Continue reading Timely New Book on Racial Reconciliation Initiative
From FFOI Susan Yates about the latest resource from the invaluable Resolution Systems Institute (RSI): As the pandemic wears on, courts have been transitioning services online and exploring how ADR and ODR can aid their communities in new ways. Given the challenging nature of the situation, I am pleased to share a newly completed resource … Continue reading RSI’s Complete “Guide to Program Success” Now Available!
This week, there was another shooting of an unarmed Black man by police, this time in Kenosha, Wisconsin. So it’s very timely to read an article co-authored by MFOI Ava Abramowitz an article in Lawfare, Measurement Matters: The Key to Police Reform. The authors take a dispute system design approach to analyzing the problems, focusing … Continue reading Ava Abramowitz Article on Data Collection as Element in Strategy to Promote Good Police Performance
Pulitzer-Prize-winning NYT columnist Wesley Morris wrote a thoughtful essay, The Reconciliation Must Be Televised. “What is America’s next step in confronting its racism? A broadcast spectacle that could look like court, a telethon, an Oprah show — and more.” Take a look. [Click the title of this post to read the article.]