Three experienced ADR practitioners recently joined Suffolk University School of Law Professor Ericka Gray for panel presentation on mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) attended by second and third year Suffolk Law students. The program is part of a series of presentations offered to the area law schools by the MBA’s ADR Committee.
Christine Yurgelun, Jeffrey Stern and Michael Zeytoonian offered their varied perspectives and experiences as ADR practitioners and engaged in a lively and extensive question-and-answer with Suffolk Law students on December 1 at the law school. Ms. Yurgelun offered her experiences as a longtime employee of the Massachusetts Trial Court system, particularly the Probate and Family Court, and the efforts of the courts to offer ADR – mediation and conciliation – to parties in those courts. She spoke of the history of efforts by the court systems to incorporate ADR services into what the courts offer to disputing parties.
Jeffrey Stern, a longtime litigator and presently a mediator and arbitrator working for The Mediation Group in Brookline, Massachusetts, gave the law students several anecdotal examples of how ADR can be used, about the growth of mediation and about the increasing demand for early mediation. Mr. Stern also discussed some of the highs and lows of court offered ADR programs, touching on the former multi-door courthouse programs offered by the trial courts many years ago. Professor Gray also added to the panel’s scope by talking about her experiences over the years and the perspective of mediators who are not attorneys. She and Mr. Yurgelun also spoke about the opportunities to get started and gain experience mediating in some of the community mediation programs around the state.
Michael Zeytoonian, a mediator and lawyer and principal at Dispute Resolution Counsel, LLC in Wellesley, Massachusetts, spoke about the need to match the right kind of dispute resolution process with each individual dispute. He touched upon the use of Collaborative Law, Case Evaluation, and the creation of hybrid dispute resolution processes designed to fit the circumstances and the situation presented by each unique dispute. Mr. Zeytoonian also pointed out the differences in strategy, demeanor, and objectives between a lawyer representing a party in litigation and a lawyer representing a party in mediation or Collaborative Law. He urged law students to create new niche areas including those similar to settlement counsel or collaborative counsel that are more responsive to the demands and needs of clients.
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