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MEDIA ADVISORY
USC Law Wins Ninth Circuit ADR Education Award
USC Gould School of Law has won the 2011 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Education Award for its instruction in mediation, negotiation and arbitration, the Ninth Circuit ADR Committee announced this week.
Established in 2005 by the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit, the award recognizes institutions that have advanced ADR scholarship and teaching. It will be presented next month at the 2011 Ninth Circuit Conference in Carlsbad, CA.
"We are deeply honored to receive this recognition,” said USC Law Dean Robert K. Rasmussen. ”This is a gratifying acknowledgment of the quality of the education that our students receive, especially in this increasingly important area."
USC Law offers five courses in Alternative Dispute Resolution: Negotiation and ADR; International Negotiation and Mediation; International Commercial Arbitration; the Mediation Clinic; and the Advanced Mediation Clinic. More than 25 percent of USC Law students take at least one. In addition, first-year Civil Procedure classes at USC Law offer mock mediation sessions as a way to introduce law students to ADR.
“Mediation is a growing trend in law that shows no signs of diminishing,” Rasmussen said. “It is important that our law students know and recognize this as an important legal tool in the 21st century.”
Under the direction of Lisa Klerman, USC Law’s Mediation Clinic and Advanced Mediation Clinic teach students dispute resolution skills that they put into “real-world” practice by mediating six or more cases in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“Unlike in traditional litigation clinics, where students learn to advocate for one side in a dispute, we teach students how to act as a third party neutral,” said Klerman. “Our students have helped hundreds of litigants settle their cases.”
Taught by Alex Polsky and Brenda Radmacher, Negotiation and Mediation Advocacy is an introductory-level course that provides “hands on” training. Students conduct role plays, observe practicing attorneys in mock negotiations and mediations, and participate in court-ordered Mandatory Settlement Conferences
International Negotiation and Mediation and International Commercial Arbitration are also participatory and designed to provide practical experience and skills. Through mock negotiations and mediations, students hone their client representation and negotiation skills by considering the special cross-cultural and ethical issues encountered by attorneys representing international clients in the ADR process. These courses are taught by John Garman.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie P. Cooke, chair of the Ninth Circuit’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, said USC Law boasts an impressive program.
“We appreciate the unique way in which you allow law students to participate in a beginning mediation clinical program, and then encourage them to participate in the advanced mediation clinic. The idea of having the advanced mediation clinic students train and mentor the beginning student mediators is an exceptional way for the advanced students to improve their mediation skills," she wrote in a letter announcing the award.
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