I am pleased to be teaching Ethics in Mediation next week, as part of Community Mediation, Inc.’s Basic Mediation Training. The 40 Hour Basic Mediation training runs from June 2 to June 6, 2014, at Community Mediation’s offices in Hamden, CT. Community Mediation, Inc., was established in 1980 and serves the Greater New Haven area. […]
“Why every attorney should consider ADR” — my article published in the Conn. Law Tribune
On February 26, 2014, the Connecticut Law Tribune published my article, “Why every attorney should consider ADR.” As I hope the title suggests, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is an option that every attorney should consider — not just those in specific practice areas where mediation and arbitration have been common for some time. Sometimes, clients […]
Two Kinds of “Resolutions”
Throughout the year, my thoughts are on conflict resolution. Most of my work involves mediation, the type of conflict or dispute “resolution” where a dispute has come to a head and needs to be resolved effectively. Yet this time of year we hear a lot about New Year’s Resolutions. This type of “resolution” is more […]
Negotiation, cliffs, and social capital
Ten days ago, after a short-term solution to the “fiscal cliff” was announced, the New York Times ran an article by James B. Stewart titled “In Budget Talks, Getting to ‘Yes’”. Stewart had interviewed various academic experts on the negotiation approaches that the Republicans and Democrats had been employing. Suffice it to say that the […]
“Connections stretch across time, distance, and interests” article published
In the most recent newsletter of the New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution (NE-ACR), my president’s message focused on connections and mediators. We encourage those in conflict to make some connection with each other — if only to respect that the other person’s perspective is unlike our own. We connect with other […]
Mediator Ethics
Earlier this month, as part of the Quinnipiac-Yale Dispute Resolution Workshop, Paula Young, of the Appalachian School of Law, discussed “Mediator Ethics and Impartiality.” She talked about the need for participants in a mediation process to feel they have a chance to tell their story, for them to feel confident that the mediator has considered […]
Help preventing or healing family heartbreak
Around Valentine’s Day we hear a lot about romantic love. But family love is important, too, and a family break-up can be just as tragic as a couple’s. Sometimes it’s even worse. Family mediation among adult siblings, between parent and child, or in some combination can prevent or heal family heartbreak. A facilitated family meeting […]
Conflict prevention: read twice, send once
You may have heard the carpenter’s rule to measure twice and cut once. I’d say there is a similar rule for written communications, especially those you send to people with whom you may find yourselves in conflict (currently or in the future.) Write the message — be it a tweet, text, email, blog post or […]
Dignity and Conflict Resolution
Last month, the New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution presented a program by Dr. Donna Hicks. She presented highlights from her work and recently published book, “Dignity: The Essential Role it Plays in Resolving Conflict.” Dr. Hicks’ research and direct conflict resolution experience have convinced her that parties in conflict are often […]
Do-it-yourself mediator
I was struck last week at the panel presentation on conflict by how hungry folks can be for tips on how to handle conflict on our own with techniques that mediators use. When a mediator is at work, it’s an essential part of the process that the person is neutral and not a party to […]
