WASHINGTON, D.C., April 10, 2012 — The American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution will hold its 14th Annual Spring Conference April 18 – 21 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.  Approximately 1000 dispute resolution professionals and experts from around the world will gather to provide insights and expertise on alternative dispute resolution practice and theory, including critical communication skills and updates on recent developments in the laws of arbitration and mediation. 

Special highlights from the conference include:

“The Challenge of Partnerism: Finding Negotiation Counterparts in “Low-to-No Trust” Environments and Loose-Knit Groups” — How do you make a deal when your only counterpart is a terrorist organization? How do you identify the relevant negotiating partner in a fast-changing and loosely organized social network, such as Occupy Wall Street or the Tea Party? Israeli crisis negotiator Moty Cristal will provide a framework of negotiation processes and conflict resolution strategies that can apply in cases where levels of distrust are high. Cristal will speak to strategies that have worked in his practice and how dispute resolution practitioners can apply them in their work.
April 19, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.

“The Interrupters:  A Conversation with Cobe Williams” — This session, which delves into the subjects of urban violence and conflict prevention, features a conversation with Cobe Williams. Williams, from the organization Cease Fire, is one of the documentary’s featured outreach workers depicted mediating conflicts between gangs and intervening to prevent violent confrontations in rough Chicago neighborhoods. Williams will take questions from the audience.
April 20, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.

At the April 20 awards luncheon, the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution will honor several people who have worked in the alternative dispute resolution realm for many years and who have contributed to the field, including Harvard Law School Professor Frank Sander, who will receive the Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work; Kenneth Feinberg, government-appointed administrator of the BP Oil compensation fund, and Harry Tindall, leader in developing the first collaborative law statute in the United States, who will receive the Lawyer as Problem Solver Award; and Linda Singer and Michael Lewis, both of whom were instrumental in developing the Center for Dispute Resolution, who will receive the D’Alemberte Raven Award, the section’s highest award.

Program topics include: 

• Leader as Facilitator:  Lessons Learned from President Obama’s Negotiating Style;
• Can Mediation Take Root in the Arab Spring?
• Developing a Global Online Dispute Resolution System: From eBay to the United Nations and Beyond;
• America’s Peacemakers: Mediating Civil Rights Community Conflicts in the Current Economic Climate;
• Caseload Trends in China:  A Look Into the Future of Asian Arbitration and Mediation of International Commercial Disputes;
• Effective Use of Mediation in Healthcare Disputes: False Claims Act and Physician Business Disputes;
• Promoting a National Dialogue on Resolving Consumer and Employment Disputes; and
• Current Ethics Issues in Arbitration.

More information about the conference is available online.

There is no charge for media covering this event.  For media credentials and more information, please contact Maria Gutierrez at 202-662-1091, Maria.Gutierrez@Americanbar.org.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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