Mediation Clinic - Advanced: Dispute System Design

Course Description

This advanced course promotes understanding of conflict management on a systemic level, teaches basic dispute system design analysis, and orients lawyers and others to conflict needs assessment tools and related problem-solving skills. The course also focuses on enhancing basic mediation skills and examining and practicing the tools and strategies required to mediate more complex disputes, including multi-party mediations and to mediate in special contexts. This is done through case studies, simulations and observations of actual mediations.

The Seminar

The Spring seminar focuses upon identifying and resolving issues of conflict in government, courts and private organizations and problems arising in design, regulation, delivery and/or assessment of conflict management services. Each student will be assigned to work on a project or projects related to one or more specific ADR service-delivery settings and report upon that work in class. In final satisfaction of the spring seminar requirements, students conduct an in-class workshop and complete a work product or research paper on a mediation or ADR service delivery or dispute system design topic.

Fieldwork

For Spring fieldwork, the Clinic will partner with the courts, government or private organizations to study particular aspects of conflict and explore dispute design system choices and the challenges presented. While formal mediation training may not necessarily be required for a student to work on dispute system design fieldwork, it is an essential prerequisite to function as a mediator. For students appropriately trained in mediation, the clinic field work will also include opportunities to mediate or coach mediation with partner organizations.

Application Procedure

Students who wish to apply to the Advanced Mediation Clinic: Dispute System Design should submit via CAMS the standard application, resume and unofficial transcript. Students who have not satisfied the prerequisites should submit this application, including a special request for admission to the Fall 3-credit Mediation Clinic Seminar. There will be no interview.

The Mediation Clinic-Advanced also welcomes LL.M. enrollments. The deadline is different than for JDs, and is posted on the Clinic Application Timelines page. Please note there is a separate application form for LL.M. students. There will be no interview.

* The seminar portion of the clinic is also open - by special application - to degree candidates from other NYU schools.

** 5 credits include 3 clinical credits and 2 academic credits in Spring 2025.

*** The course will only be open to students who have or will have taken one of the following: Mediation Clinic Seminar Fall 2024 or 2025; other Mediation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Negotiation or alternate approved by faculty. Faculty will also consider, on a case-by-case basis, whether other negotiation, mediation or ADR training that a student has satisfactorily completed adequately satisfies the prerequisite requirement.