Mediation
In recent years, individuals and their lawyers have increasingly turned to mediation to resolve disputes. In mediation, the parties to the dispute, who may be represented by lawyers, are in charge of the outcome. With the assistance of a mediator they may be able to reach agreements at any stage in a dispute, in some cases avoiding litigation altogether, in other cases agreeing when the case is on appeal. This course will introduce you to the theory and practice of mediation. You will learn about the mediation process primarily by experiencing it in roleplay and hands-on exercises. The course also includes readings and discussions, brief lectures, demonstrations, student presentations, and videotapes. You will mediate disputes based on actual cases, and be coached in small groups by Bay Area mediators. The course goals are to understand the nature of conflict and principles of conflict management, to develop the communication skills essential to effective mediation, to evaluate various mediation models and mediator styles, to consider the policy and ethical implications of the expanding use of mediation, and to develop the skills necessary to represent clients in mediation.