NCJ Number
96684
Date Published
1984
Length
36 pages
Annotation
Four panelists at the mediation conference address the kinds of skills and knowledge that a person needs to approach dispute resolution with sensitivity and understanding.
Abstract
Lawrence Susskind, Executive Director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, predicts that the demand for mediation will grow not only at the community level, but also in the areas of scientific, technical, and resource allocation disputes. Susskind notes that there is a move toward certification of mediators and states that certification makes sense only after a field has matured and when there is a generally shared view of what constitutes good practice. Charles Halpern, Dean of the City of New York Law School at Queens College, addresses the tension between the traditional legal education and the perspective that makes a person an effective mediator. Additionally, he suggests that law school programs provide training across interdisciplinary lines to people engaged in mediation. Larry Ray, Director of the American Bar Association's Special Committee on Dispute Resolution, explains that mediators can learn from psychologists, social workers, lawyers, and communicators. Finally, he notes that some of the advantages of mediation are its simplicity and common sense approach; these qualities should not be sacrificed if the field is certified. Fred DuBow, Professor of Psychology and Criminal Justice, examines various aspects of the Community Boards Program, including the use of internal supports for mediators and the program's attempts to help mediators understand their own experiences.