Mediation On-Line A Newsletter from ADR Resources http://adrr.com/adr9/050.htm Volume 5, No. 4 (February 2002) From: smarsh@adrr.com Subscribe

Greetings:

I have accepted an offer of employment by a captive law firm and as a result am closing up all other legal practice.  One side effect is that I will no longer mediate except on a pro bono basis.

I am also pleased to announce a new article at http://adrr.com/adr6/justice.htm -- Conflict Resolution and The Halachah by Gary I. Lilienthal, Ph.D.

The On-Line Dispute Resolution Class I mentioned last month has a website with comprehensive information on the course at http://www.odrnews.com/training.htm.  February 18-February 22, 2002, from 8:30am to 5pm at SMU-in-Legacy, Plano, Texas (just up the tollway from Dallas).  Any questions or comments? Please contact Colin Rule, 617-354-5444 x664 or crule@onlineresolution.com  To register for the course or to learn more about the Dispute Resolution program at SMU-in-Legacy, call 214-473-3437 or visit the program website.

The Recommended Books of the Month:

THE FUTURE OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION (New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2000) By Peter Baofu who used to be an associate professor in the Dept. of International Relations at Eastern Mediterranean University and who is currently a visiting professor in Bocconi University in Milan, Italy for the 4th term, 2001.  I will have a full review shortly, but wanted to take to time to recommend this scholarly book for your consideration.  His website is at http://www.geocities.com/pbaofu/

New Strategies in College Teaching by Allyn & Bacon (Pearson Education Company 2002), appears to actually be a book by Richard E. Lyons with many, many co-authors.  Visit http://www.ablongman.com/ for more texts by the authors.  This book takes the reader through what it takes to succeed in today's academic world.  313 pages of solid information, plus an index.  Frustratingly, I was unable to find this (obviously brand-new) book for sale anywhere, but it is available free for responding to a survey at http://www.ablongman.com/adjuncts/survey/ -- until they sell it, I guess you can take the survey. I wanted to buy half a dozen copies to give away to friends as a present and I can't (in good faith) just take the survey 8 or 9 times.  A good book, especially at the current price.

If you teach, you should have a copy.  Trade paper.  I should note that Pearson Education actively supports adjunct professors and their needs.

Interesting new Mediation & ADR (and other) web sites

• Northern Virginia Mediation Service an affiliate of George Mason University and the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution has its main website at http://www.NVmediation.org  and training information can be directly accessed at http://www.nvmstraining.org.
• Ury has an article on the web at http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/article.html?article_id=27568
• The University of Milan Political Science Faculty has started a short 3-year degree course in "Linguistic and Cultural Mediation" . It consists mainly of the study of two foreign languages, plus courses on the economy, legal system and society of 2 different foreign countries where they are spoken. For more details: www.spolitiche.unimi.it/nuovicdl.html
• http://www.itcilo.it/ is the Turin Center and their November 2000 newsletter carried a 2 page article "Conflict Management -Art or Science?" - an interview with Charles Nupen, who is a South African labour lawyer who became the first director of the CCMA - Commission on Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration in S.Africa
• http://adr-shapiro.com is the Honorable Ms. Shapiro's website.  Cleanly executed.
• I am very, very pleased to note another Peruvian ADR website.  http://www.campecam.cjb.net/ is hte url.
• http://www.emu.edu/ctp/bse-teachin1.html is the url for Creating a Big Circle for a Difficult Discussion, a post September 11, 2001 essay embracing peace and conflict resolution.  Interesting.  Other articles on the topic are at http://www.emu.edu/ctp/bse-articles.html.
• I have a local cache of an excellent website at http://adrr.com/adr8/alaska.htm -- for those times his class is not offered and is not on the web.
• http://www.renaissancelawyer.com/ is an interesting site and an interesting approach.
• http://www.divorceinteractive.com is an interesting site, along the theme of divorce coaching and divorce mediation.

Educational Programs / News and Book Reviews/Books/Periodicals

The On-Line Dispute Resolution Class I mentioned last month has a website with comprehensive information on the course at http://www.odrnews.com/training.htm.  February 18-February 22, 2002, from 8:30am to 5pm at SMU-in-Legacy, Plano, Texas (just up the tollway from Dallas).  Any questions or comments? Please contact Colin Rule, 617-354-5444 x664 or crule@onlineresolution.com  To register for the course or to learn more about the Dispute Resolution program at SMU-in-Legacy, call 214-473-3437 or visit the program website.

Current Issues

Let me quote from a recent (much too typical) letter I received:

[quote]

Mr. Marsh:

While using the Google search engine to locate ---- , I stumbled across one of your email messages. It is obvious from the amount of time and care that you took answering the other party's questions, you are quite knowledgeable regarding the field of dispute mediation. Therefore, I am PRAYING that you can supply me with some answers, or at the very least, point me in the right direction.

I have completed four of the dispute mediation courses that are being offered at ---- as part of their mediation certificate program. My intentions are to continue taking advantage of their excellent program, and to increase my knowledge base whenever possible. I am currently participating in a practicum at a law office, primarily to gain legal knowledge and a bit of insight as to what attorneys look for in mediators. I feel confident regarding my mediation technique and I feel that I know my stuff. I am all set to get started in this field, but I seem not to be able to pull ANY information regarding how to get going in this business. I need simple information, like:

-What is the secret to getting on with the ADR program at the ---- County Courthouse? (No one returns phone calls.)

-How is one considered for the list of mediators that the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and the GSA contract from? What are their requirements? I have called the GSA office here in Dallas, and spent two days getting bounced from voice mail to voice mail. Finally, a nice gentleman in a Ft. Worth government office was delegated to assist me, but he too could not find the information. Everyone's been nice, but no one seems to know anything.

-What requirements do the Postal Service have for the mediators that they contract? As part of my work at the law office, I was able to observe a Postal Service Mediation. I tried in vain to get the mediator to give me some concrete information. The most that he would do was to give me his card and ask that I pass it along to the attorney that I was assisting.

-Is there an EEOC mediator's training program? (On the EEOC website, such training is alluded to, but specifics are never given.)Would their be any advantage to me attending the 'American Association for Affirmative Action' Conference and participating in their workshops. I get the impression that this too is a 'closed' society.

-How do you get the attention of the various Justices of the Peace? (I call and call, and only get secretaries who have little to no idea if the justices use mediators.)

-Do you really have to contribute to various judge's election funds to be considered for their mediator's list? (Excuse me if I am not suppose to ask this question.)

My final question: Where is the key kept that gives me entry into the world of mediation? Seriously, I feel as if there are mediator club meetings being held at undisclosed locations. No one wants to give up any specifics. I realize that the business environment is about competition, survival of the fittest and all of that, but give me a break. Aren't we as mediators suppose to at least attempt to incorporate the notion of interest-based thinking into our everyday lives?

Help!!

[/quote]

Submissions to adrr.com

As always, I am interested in any submissions or articles anyone would like to have posted on the web -- and I am glad to be able to point them out in this newsletter.  I prefer to post material as you have written it, with no editorial changes by myself.  I should also note that I am changing my service provider, so that smarsh@adrr.com is the best e-mail address to use to reach me.

With my best regards, I remain,

Sincerely yours,

Stephen Marsh
http://adrr.com/adr9/051.htm
Additional material is included in the on-line version.
This month's on-line version includes a sample employment opportunity for review.
If you are curious where the term/name Ethesis comes
from, visit http://adrr.com/living/ethesis.htm

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