Course Description:
This course is a survey of various dispute resolution alternatives to the traditional trial process. The focus is on arbitration, negotiation, and mediation. Among the objectives for this course are that each student gain familiarity with these processes, with certain skills that might prove helpful in negotiating or mediating the resolution of a dispute, and with certain factors that might be relevant in selecting the most appropriate method or methods of dispute resolution for a client. The arbitration section of the course generally follows a traditional, case-dominated approach. During the negotiation and mediation sections of the course, students have the opportunity to participate in several mock negotiation and mediation exercises that are designed to enhance understanding of the assigned readings. Students also view and critique videotaped portions of one or more negotiations and mediations. The class utilizes extensive group discussion. Finally, each student is required to submit a paper on a topic of her or his choice relating to ADR and is required to present the paper to the class.
