The NYPD & The Three C’s: Communication, Community & Cricket
Jeff Thompson 08/23/2009
Often when I speak about conflict and dispute resolution I mention three words that I consider to be my mantra in regards to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Communication, Understanding and Peace are what I strive to create in all my interactions, be it as a mediator, conflict coach, consultant, or as a police officer in the New York City Police Department.

Small Lessons for Lawyers and Business People in Building Community
Victoria Pynchon 12/01/2008
Restorative justice is the criminal version of civil mediation. It stresses accountability, admission of guilt, forgiveness and reconciliation. It is the basis for Truth & Reconciliation Commissions that address harm done by one group of people to another that is rarely redressable by a criminal justice remedy.

The Los Angeles Mediation Community Welcomes Judge Alexander Williams, III
Victoria Pynchon 08/24/2008
Judge Alexander Williams' retirement from the bench and entry into private neutral practice with ADR Services is good news for the legal community.  I co-mediated dozens of cases with the Judge while I was earning my LL.M from the Straus Institute and have spent many hours discussing the nuances of mediation practice with him.  Once known for his temper (and the bow tie he appears to have forgotten to wear in the photo at right)  the Judge has learned the rewards of...

The Impact of Case Management in the Initial Stages of Community Mediation
Seth Lubin 06/30/2008
In community mediation centers, a case manager is usually the first dispute resolution professional with whom parties have contact. Because they are the first point of contact, case managers can influence whether or not all parties will come to the mediation table.

The legal community has learned to accept low-functioning mediation
Geoff Sharp 06/17/2008
I have had a draft post sitting on my laptop for nearly 6 months now but I haven't posted it. I'm not ready to lose half my readers yet.The working title is something like 'lazy mediators don't do joint sessions' or 'lazy mediators only meet in private'. I couldn't decide which one would offend least.And it includes such pearls as 'joint is where we do our brain surgery - anyone can be a high-priced bellhop between rooms'. I mean, it's not as if I haven't posted gently on this topic before; see ...

Negotiating Justice in Community Mediation
Victoria Pynchon 05/19/2008
Nearly every condominium complex harbors an outlaw -- the man, woman, couple or family who refuse to follow the rules. Offended and outraged, other homeowners make demands on their volunteer board who contact the (often unresponsive) management company. Many of these disputes ultimately make their way to the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Center in West Hollywood. And some of them make their way to me. Welcome to community mediation -- the non-zero sum, value-based, rights-seeking, joint session transformative dispute resolution process. We're well-trained and we're free. But can we deliver justice?

Are Mediators Damage Control Experts?: A Case Study of Community Mediation
Jonathan W. Reitman 05/05/2008
I never thought of myself as a “damage control expert.” That’s not a phrase I’ve ever used in the ADR law school courses or 40-hour mediation courses I have taught over the years. And yet, if I can prevent parties from being “crushed by the weight of their conflict,” perhaps a damage control expert is precisely what I am.

Community Peace-maker: An Interview with John B. Stephens
Gini Nelson 01/14/2008
This is an interview by Gini Nelson of John B. Stephens. Among many accomplishments, John is co-author of Reaching for Higher Ground in Conflict Resolution and an associate professor at the School of Government, UNC-Chapel Hill. He has worked on education, land use, and environmental issues, and designed and facilitated dialogues on homosexuality and denominational policies in the United Methodist Church. He can be reached at www.ncpdr.unc.edu

Mediation – An Integral Part Of Our Litigation Culture
Geoff Sharp 06/15/2009
Speech by Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, Master of the Rolls.

Negotiation Teaching 2.0: New Book Rethinks Current Approaches, Considers Culture
Diane J. Levin 06/08/2009
“But we’ve always done it this way” all too often stifles fresh thinking or bars the way to needed change. That’s why now and again it doesn’t hurt to shake things up. And shaking things up in the world of negotiation training and teaching is a new book, Rethinking Negotiation Teaching: Innovations for Context and Culture, edited by ADR movers and shakers Chris Honeyman, James Coben, and Giuseppe De Palo.

The Culture in the Code
, Daniel Rainey 03/09/2009
In the United States, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has become a routine, and sometimes even a dominant force in the resolution of disputes that traditionally would have gone through some formal, legal process. One observation from the United States will probably serve to make the point. The American Bar Association (ABA), the premier professional association for attorneys in the United States, now has as its largest interest group the Section on Dispute Resolution – a group within the ABA dedicated to dispute resolution outside the formal legal system.

Obama, Miracle on the Hudson and a Society of Collaborative Excellence
James Melamed 01/16/2009
What are the odds of Barack Obama becoming our President? And what are the odds of 155 passengers surviving a plane crash into the Hudson River? This is not everyday stuff. It is what is possible. It is what is best. Does all this portend a new culture of collaborative excellence?

NeuroMediators: Understanding the brain is a critical key to resolving conflict (both within a culture and between cultures)
Stephanie West Allen 09/16/2008
Yesterday I blogged about how very important it is for conflict resolution practitioners to have knowledge about the workings of the brain and the mind. To underscore my point, please listen to this new interview of Doctors Jeffrey Schwartz and Norman Doidge. (Thanks to Australia's ABC National Radio All In the Mind for posting the interview so we may listen; they will post the transcript midweek.)In the interview you will hear about the brain's plasticity and how understanding its...

New episodes in International Dispute Negotiation podcast series cover hard bargaining, emotions across cultures
Diane J. Levin 08/18/2008
One of the very best of the ADR blogs is International Dispute Negotiation, a high-quality podcast series hosted by Michael McIlwrath, Senior Counsel, Litigation for GE Infrastructure - Oil & Gas, whose home base is Florence, Italy. Masterfully produced, these podcasts offer conversations with leading thinkers and distinguished practitioners who bring a global perspective on mediation, arbitration, and negotiation. Although international in focus, these interviews have relevance to ADR...

The Influence Of Culture On Negotiations In South Africa: An Attempt To Promote International Collaborative Dialogue And Research
Sharron K. Jenkins, Judy Rashid 06/16/2008
In August 2007, two faculty persons traveled to South Africa to establish collaboration in the development of AIDS Online International (AOI), developed by Dr. Jenkins for college students in AIDS education, prevention, and behavioral research. This article describes the project and how culture influenced the negotiating practices and styles of the participants.