Tag Archives: Skills and Techniques

We Should Replace Mediation Models with a Unified Conceptual Framework

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A quarter century ago, Professor Len Riskin published an article describing a grid of mediator orientiations including a facilitative-evaluative dimension.  Despite critiques of this framework, including by Len himself, many mediators, trainers, and teachers still use these concepts as mediation models, expressing strong feelings that one model is good and the other is bad. These … Continue reading We Should Replace Mediation Models with a Unified Conceptual Framework →

Merging Mediation Models – And Other Lessons

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Imagine that you just stared into the neuralyzer in Men in Black.  It wiped out all your memory of the traditional bundled of models of mediation and negotiation.  You know – facilitative and evaluative mediation, interest-based and positional negotiation, etc. etc.  The neuralyzer also vaporized all references to them in texts and teaching materials. You’re … Continue reading Merging Mediation Models – And Other Lessons →

Concepts That Can Help Practitioners Help Parties Make Decisions in Disputes

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The good folks at the Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York and CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College invited me to give a talk as part of their monthly breakfast series.  Last week, I gave a presentation, Helping Parties Make Decisions About What’s Really Important, which synthesizes ideas I have been … Continue reading Concepts That Can Help Practitioners Help Parties Make Decisions in Disputes →

Program on Anti-Racism and the Mediator’s Role on November 13

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From TFOI Robyn Weinstein: The ADR Department of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York and the Columbia Law School Ethics Colloquium will present a program, Anti-Racism and the Mediator’s Role: Irreconcilable Differences or Ethical Imperative?, on Friday, November 13, 2020, from 12:00pm – 1:30pm. The program is free and 1.5 … Continue reading Program on Anti-Racism and the Mediator’s Role on November 13 →

You Really Should Know About Kris Franklin

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Kris Franklin is a kindred spirit to folks in our community.  I hadn’t heard of her until I was wowed by her conversation with Peter Phillips, which you can see in this 42-minute video. She’s a professor at New York Law School and here’s an excerpt from her webpage: An academic innovator, Kris Franklin brings … Continue reading You Really Should Know About Kris Franklin →

Study Finds That Law Schools Fail to Prepare Students to Work with Clients and Negotiate

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I previously posted an overview of the excellent report by Ohio State Professor Deborah Jones Merritt and Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System Research Director Logan Cornett, Building a Better Bar: The Twelve Building Blocks of Minimum Competence.  This report is based on insights from 50 focus groups with 201 participants conducted … Continue reading Study Finds That Law Schools Fail to Prepare Students to Work with Clients and Negotiate →

Transactional Interest and Risk Assessment

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By definition, the LIRA book, which provides a framework for litigation interest and risk assessment, focuses on litigation. This post describes how it can be adapted for transactional negotiation – transaction interest and risk assessment, or TIRA. Three Elements The LIRA framework consists of assessment of three elements:  expected court outcome, future tangible costs of … Continue reading Transactional Interest and Risk Assessment →

Nebraska Adopts Standards of Practice for Restorative Justice Facilitators

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From BFOI Kristen Blankley: The State of Nebraska adopted Standards of Practice for Restorative Justice Facilitators (“Nebraska RJ Standards”), which can be found here. Kristen Blankley (University of Nebraska) chaired the committee responsible for drafting the standards, and committee involved stakeholders from across the state, including Dan Bechtol (Executive Director, Concord Mediation Center), Monica Miles-Steffens … Continue reading Nebraska Adopts Standards of Practice for Restorative Justice Facilitators →