Northern California ADR Faculty Conference

For 20 years, the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (CNDR) and our co-host, the Martin Daniel Gould Center for Conflict Resolution at Stanford Law School, have gathered law, business school, and undergrad ADR and Negotiation faculty from throughout Northern California to explore new topics and innovations in pedagogy in dispute resolution. It is also an opportunity to connect with others in the field and build relationships.

For faculty, adjuncts, and ADR instructors only, not open to the general public. Generally held in February annually. Contact us with any questions.

Past Conferences

Held in-person on February 24, 2023, with the theme Mediation: Bridging Theory and Practice. ADR skills courses have been offered in law schools for the past two decades or more, yet the courses themselves have remained largely unchanged: We continue to use many of the same texts, the same role plays, and the same methods of delivery that we did twenty years ago. Have our theoretical and pedagogical models kept up with the times? Do they adequately reflect the current demands and realities of the legal profession? How can we as educators help bridge the gap between theory and practice, both in the classroom and beyond its boundaries? This year’s conference explored some of these questions and provided a forum for sharing pedagogical techniques to engage student learning and skill-building.

The 2021 conference was held on February 19, 2021. To honor the challenging pandemic year, and the landmark social justice movements which inspired diversity, equity and inclusion-focused (DEI) initiatives in our schools and classrooms, the theme was Virtual Learning & Inclusion.

Fitting with the theme, this year’s conference was held virtually. With the increased accessibility of being online, we welcomed attendees from across the country instead of the usual Northern California local professors.

The Center also presented a special CNDR Honoree award to Professor Shirish Gupta in recognition of contributions and dedication to virtual learning and inclusion, and commitment to CNDR. Professor Gupta helped other UC Law SF professors navigate the technical challenges early on during the switch to virtual teaching, he mentored others, generously shared teaching materials, and lead by example when it comes to incorporating diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Thank you Professor Gupta!

TRANSFORMATIVE MEDIATION presented by Yishai Boyarin

The workshop explored Transformative Mediation in the context of clinical work with students and focus on techniques for teaching the importance of listening and being non-directive in the context of mediation.  The presenter was until recently the director of the mediation clinic at Hofstra, where for the last five years transformative mediation was the approach taught to the students and explored in their clinical work.

HIGH-TECH VIDEOTAPING OF STUDENT NEGOTIATIONS presented by Timothy M. Dayonot

This workshop discussed a method developed to videotape and review student negotiations using the recording capabilities of smartphones and the storage capabilities of Cloud computing; how to utilize a universal phone bracket, a lightweight tripod and a student’s smartphone to capture high-definition video for future review and analysis.  It included approaches for using the videos as a teaching tool, including a written diagnostic assessment and homework assignment for students to complete in connection with the viewing of their negotiation videos.

INFLUENCE SMALL BIG presented by Jessica Notini

Many of us teach the psychological principles of persuasion, often referencing the work of Robert Cialdini, the research of Melissa Nelken and others. Ms. Notini explored new research and findings in the field as presented in The Small B!G: Small Changes that Spark BIG Influence, by Martin, Goldstein and Cialdini.  We discussed best practices for incorporating these concepts in our classes, whether as a separate module or integrated into other modules, and shared some of our favorite demonstrations, videos and exercises for bringing the influencing strategies to life.

USING APPLIED IMPROVISATION TO SHIFT  & EXPAND PERSPECTIVE IN NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION presented by Debra Gerardi

Becoming locked in a particular point of view or perspective can lead to impasse and impede forward progress in negotiations and conflict resolution. This interactive session used experiential learning techniques and applied improvisation to shift and expand perspective around issues, values, and positions by accessing intuitive and generative ways of knowing.

CREATING A NEGOTIATION MOOC presented by David Johnson

This workshop discussed the burgeoning online education space and Mr. Johnson’s first free and open online course was the global student with English and computer fluency who had not yet received any negotiation training in their education. The course was built around single-topic videos, most 5-6 minutes in length, deployed in modules to create a five week arc of instruction. Mr. Johnson discuss the state of the world in online platforms; his design/build/deliver process, and lessons learned about MOOCs.