The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution seeks experienced mediators and lawyers to be judges and mediators for the Representation in Mediation Competition National Finals. Final Rounds will take place in conjunction with the Section’s Spring Conference at the Sheraton Downtown Denver, in Denver, Colorado, April 13-14. In this competition, law students role-play as attorneys and clients in a mediation setting. The competition measures how well law students model appropriate preparation for and representation of a client in mediation, and judges law students on their skills as advocates in the mediation process.
In many states, volunteers for law student competitions may be eligible for CLE credit. Volunteers are also offered a registration discount for the Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference (National Competition Volunteers may register for the Spring Conference at the Faculty Registration Rate).
The ABA needs lawyers experienced with interest-based negotiation to judge the students in the competition. The greatest need is for volunteers to serve as judges for the First Round, scheduled for 8:00 AM – 12:00 Noon Wednesday April 13th, and the Second Round, scheduled for 1:00 – 5:00 PM on the 13th. There will be a training meeting for competition volunteers prior to start of the round. Volunteer judges use ABA competition criteria to assess and critique students on their performance in the competition. Past volunteers report learning much that is helpful in their teaching and mediation work, as well as seeing how much the law students learn.
Mediators (lawyers and non-lawyers) are needed to serve as mock mediators within the competition role-play, to allow the students to demonstrate their skills advocating within a realistic mediation process. Volunteer mediators are required to use a facilitative mediation style so that the student competitors see a consistent style throughout the competition.
If you would like to volunteer, please complete the short online form: https://abanet.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4HidELq1z3vg5dW
All volunteers will be sent a confirmation and additional information, including the detailed schedule, Competition Rules, Instructions for Volunteers, and the problems assigned to the competitors.
For more information, visit the Competition web site: http://www.abanet.org/dispute/mediationcomp.html or e-mail Gina Brown with the ABA staff at gina.brown@americanbar.org or Matthew Conger at Matthew.conger@americanbar.org.
