Legal disputes are generally resolved outside the courthouse. In fact, 98 percent of lawsuits are resolved either through mediation by a neutral mediator or settlement negotiations between lawyers. Many other claims are adjudicated in private arbitrations. The expense, delay, and acrimony that is part of most litigation means clients look for lawyers who can resolve disputes at an early stage without damaging key relationships.

Lawyers negotiate everything from contracts to pre-trial discovery. Through the Dispute Resolution Program, you can acquire excellent negotiation, mediation, and arbitration advocacy skills. These processes are also known as Alternative/Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Outcomes

You will learn the law that governs mediation, arbitration, and other dispute resolution processes and how to design a process that fits the dispute. You'll learn to negotiate in any setting, manage difficult conversations and people, and guide clients, opposing parties, and mediators to creative resolutions that achieve client goals in mediation. You'll also be prepared to ethically and persuasively represent a client before a tribunal of arbitrators. It all adds up to skills to ethically protect client interests in any dispute resolution process.