Basic Civil Mediation
Instructor: Kim Kovach, University of Idaho College of LawMay 18-22, 2009
This 40-hour course explores conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation theory to provide an intellectual foundation for the mediation practitioner.
Mediation skills will be presented and practiced to enable participants to gain competence and confidence in their capacity to serve as a mediator.
The course will explore each stage of the mediation process and attendant strategies and skills, including: preparing for mediation sessions; determining the ideal mix of participants in each session; delivering an opening statement; listening effectively and translating hostile and adversarial communications into constructive elements of a collaborative process; constructing a thoughtful discussion agenda; generating movement; using a caucus effectively; drafting agreements; and closing the session.
Lectures, discussions, demonstrations, exercises, and role-playing will be used to create a dynamic and memorable learning experience.
What you will learn:
- A deeper understanding of conflict and alternative approaches to addressing disputes
- The fundamentals of effective mediation practice
- Diverse mediator orientations, goals and styles
- Cutting edge issues currently debated in the field
- The interplay of the legal system and lawyers with the mediation process
- The impact of cultural and other diversity on conflict and conflict resolution
- The ethics of mediation practice
- What can and cannot, should and should not, be mediated
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About the Instructor
Kimberlee K. Kovach has nearly thirty years experience in mediation as a leading teacher, trainer, scholar and practitioner. She is a Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, as well as a former Chair of the State Bar of Dexas ADR Section. Professor Kovach has taught a variety of ADR courses in legal education for over seventeen years, and is the author of a text book for law school use, Mediation: Principles and Practices (3rd ed. 2004). She is also the author of Mediation in a Nutshell (2003). Kovach has published numberous law review articles, book chapters and short articles on a variety of ADR and related topics. She has lectured extensively throughout the United States and abroad, and serves as a mediator, arbitrator, and trainer. She currently serves as the Director of the Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution as well as the Distinguished Lecturer in Dispute Resolution at South Texas College of Law.