By Jim Melamed

The Real Practice Systems Negotiation and Mediation Coach (RPS Coach) is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help mediators, lawyers, parties, ADR program managers, educators, students, and scholars. It assists in preparing for and carrying out mediation work more effectively. It is designed to promote good decision-making by participants in negotiation and mediation as well as to support mediator education, training, and reform in various settings. RPS Coach draws on the extensive scholarship about dispute resolution and legal education by University of Missouri Isidor Loeb Professor Emeritus John Lande. Based on Real Practice Systems Theory, RPS Coach encourages practitioners to reflect on and improve their unique systems of practice. RPS Coach is a public service available for free. Click here to access RPS Coach.

Video by Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis; Review by Dan Glover
Can Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) change the world? That’s the question Mac Pierre-Louis, J.D., M.Ed. asks us to consider in his new documentary of the same name.

By Colin Rule and Jim Melamed

The landscape of dispute resolution has undergone a profound transformation, driven by technological advancements that were significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, two pivotal sets of guidelines have emerged in 2025 to steer the ethical integration of technology and artificial intelligence (AI): the 2025 AFCC/ABA Model Standards for Family and Divorce Mediation and the ICODR/NCTDR Standards and more recent Guidance for Third Parties Using Artificial Intelligence. While the AFCC standards provide a broad, human-centric ethical framework specifically for family law, the ICODR guidance offers a granular, tech-specific deep dive into the unique risks and requirements of AI platforms.

with Susan Guthrie

The best business relationships have nothing to do with business. Not at the start, not in the room, not over coffee or at a conference. Phil Fornaro, attorney and podcast host, calls what he has built relationship capital, and with a client conversion rate approaching 100%, he has the results to prove that leading with the relationship instead of the business is not just a nicer approach, it is the smarter one. Susan Guthrie sits down with Phil Fornaro, attorney, founder of Fornaro Law, and outside general counsel to founder-led businesses. He is also the host of the podcast Light Bulb Moments: It’s All About The Energy. When Susan was a guest on his show, Phil said two words at the end of their conversation that made the light bulb go off: relationship capital.

Master skills to resolve workplace conflict before it escalates. Learn practical mediation, facilitation, coaching, and organizational strategies that create stronger teams and healthier workplace cultures. Recorded live in May 2026, this 7-hour intensive workplace training features Dr. Clare Fowler guiding you through today’s most effective workplace dispute resolution strategies. Earn 7 CLE/CEU credit hours while gaining practical tools you can apply immediately. Mediate.com Members save 20%!

Register for the Dive into AI 2026 Consultation Group: Here.

By Robert Bergman

Technology develops at the pace of engineering. Society adapts at the pace of culture. Regulation moves at the pace of politics. A recurring conclusion in technology policy literature is that regulation tends to move through three phases: 1) Innovation phase: Technology advances largely without dedicated regulation; 2) Crisis phase: High-profile harms expose governance gaps and 3) Regulatory phase: Laws are enacted, often years or decades after adoption.
Scholars argue that regulation is typically driven less by the invention itself than by broad social acceptance and the emergence of significant societal consequences.

with Jim Melamed

This video and slide presentation is from Jim’s May 2026 2-hour workshop “A Brave New World: Integrating AI into Family Mediation” presented to the Massachusetts Council for Family Mediation (MCFM). See the sample video and order here.Introductory price of only $49, plus Mediate Members save 20%. Also see Jim’s new Agreement to Mediate That Incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use.

By Dan Berstein and Robert Bergman

There is much research demonstrating concerns about how AI can hurt us emotionally – information overload, loss of autonomy, dehumanization, and concerns about whether to trust it can all lead AI users to feel a sense of overwhelm and fatigue. These impacts are often cited as reasons to be concerned or to avoid using AI, or at the very least to be more careful with its use. This article does not dispute these problems and drawbacks of AI use – rather, it seeks to make the case that there are some new things AI can do (beyond merely increasing efficiency, speed, and accuracy) that can help human beings emotionally in ways that people often cannot.

AAA Magazine Featured Articles

By Terrance Corrigan

Late delivery of certified vendor data (CVD) is an often-overlooked root cause of construction project delays, especially on complex industrial projects such as power plants and manufacturing facilities. In my experience overseeing numerous such projects, I’ve seen critical vendor information for engineered items arrive much later than promised or required, triggering cascading schedule impacts that manifest well before construction even begins. While these delays are usually first treated as purely technical or commercial problems, they almost always carry the seeds of future disputes between owners, EPC contractors, and OEM vendors. When parties recognize this early and engage in structured alternative dispute resolution techniques such as facilitated meetings or mediation, they can often realign expectations, adjust schedules, and properly assign risk before positions harden, damages mount, and claims escalate into formal arbitration or litigation.

By Sarabjeet Wadhwa

This article offers reflections on conflict, psychological safety, and the limits of professional neutrality. There was a period in my life when I found myself living through a conflict that I could neither professionally compartmentalize nor peacefully resolve. As someone working in the field of dispute resolution and mediation, I had spent years studying communication, de-escalation, neutrality, emotional regulation, and the importance of constructive dialogue. Professionally, I assisted in navigating difficult interpersonal conflicts involving workplaces, families, and communities. I believed deeply in the value of listening, empathy, and respectful coexistence. Yet, despite this background, I eventually became the person who had to leave her own home in order to restore her peace.

By John Potter

Some conflicts are not about what people want. They are about what people believe must never be given up. These are sacred convictions. They may be tied to identity and collective memory. When they are at stake, the conflict changes. What looks like a reasonable compromise can feel like a violation. What appears to be a generous offer can provoke anger and mistrust. For experienced mediators, this is familiar territory. It is also where many usual and customary strategies begin to fail. The question is how to engage these tenacious disputes in a more meaningful manner.

By Wendy Morgan

I got a call this week from a young mother. Her son is twenty months old — barely walking, still in that phase where everything is wonder and discovery. She was scared. The father of her child, her former boyfriend, was threatening to take her to court over custody. She told me she needed to be prepared for a fight. I spent the next hour telling her why she didn’t.

Would you like to get more mediation cases by being in the world’s most used mediator directory and also be able to access all Mediate.com resources? Mediate.com Membership Benefits now include access to MediatorDojo, the Dive into AI Consultation Group, the Great Reads Book Club, and 20% off at MediateUniversity.com!  See: www.mediate.com/Membership!