Mediation Week Professionalism Webinar 10/17

Since I began mediating in 2001, the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has experienced tremendous growth. The recognition that not all cases are well-suited for an adversarial process and that multiple paths exist to achieve justice is increasingly shared by attorneys, judges, and the public. A decade into my ADR practice, in 2011, the American Bar Association (ABA) began recognizing the third week of October as “Mediation Week,” building on the efforts of many other national, state, and local organizations, including the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). For this year's ABA Mediation Week, Upchurch Watson White & Max will present its complimentary monthly UWWM Webinar focusing on how to make language and civility work in negotiation. My esteemed colleague, Howard Marsee, with whom I first worked back in 1994, will discuss "The Language of Professionalism in Negotiation " at noon Monday, October 17, 2016. The 75-minute program presented in conjunction with the University of Florida Levin College of Law Institute for Dispute Resolution has a dual purpose to share some of the communication skills that mediators observe in really good negotiators and to explore how language can contribute to professionalism in the context of negotiations. I will help to guide the discussion as moderator. The content of this Florida Bar approved continuing legal education (CLE) is designed for trial lawyers who represent clients in mediation and for professional mediators. See more information and registration link here-- http://conta.cc/2cZWJP3

Orlando Mediator blog now an official ABA "blawg"

Just a brief post to announce that the American Bar Association has officially listed this blog as one of its law blogs or "blawgs." The ABA's Blawg Directory is promoted by the distinguished ABA Journal online and is touted as a comprehensive directory of continually updated law blogs. Help this blawg reach the "Blawg 100," an annual listing of the top one hundred blawgs in the law, now in its fifth year. Details will be posted when voting opens this year and the hope is that this blog will be the first devoted to mediation to make the list. Thanks for your readership and continued support of this endeavor which is a labor of love published in the interest of expanding the use of mediation and alternative dispute resolution in the 21st century. My mediation practice began in 2001 and continues to push the envelope in creative use of ADR. As an example, recent topics include the use of early ESI mediation to avoid protracted E-Discovery battles, allowing parties in litigation to re-focus their cases on the merits. I look forward to continuing exploring new topics on this blawg as trends develop to keep professional neutrals and advocates alike abreast of the latest in this field. Orlando Mediator can now be found as this URL on ABA: http://www.abajournal.com/blawg/Orlando_Mediator