Dean Brian Gallini ...Happy Fall!

Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter from the Center on Dispute Resolution. We are proud that our Dispute Resolution program has once again been recognized for its excellence, consistently ranking in the top 20 over the past decade according to U.S. News & World Report’s peer rankings. In 2024, we achieved our highest ranking yet, securing the 14th position nationally. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our faculty, students, and alumni in advancing the field of dispute resolution.

Several key factors contribute to our program’s success and strong reputation. The Society for Dispute Resolution, our largest student organization, plays a vital role in shaping a community of future dispute resolution professionals. Additionally, the Quinnipiac-Yale Dispute Resolution Workshop, which has been running since 2002-2003, provides a unique platform for intellectual exchange and professional development. We also offer a comprehensive 40-hour mediation training twice a year that brings together an interesting mix of professionals from around Connecticut and elsewhere to build their skills.

We hope you enjoy reading more about these highlights, along with our other innovative programs and initiatives, in this edition of the Center’s newsletter. Sending you warm wishes for an enjoyable fall season ahead. 

40-Hour Mediation Certificate Training Program Spring 2025

Registration for the Spring 2025 session is open. REGISTER NOW. Two Days on Zoom and Two Days on Campus: 8-hours of asynchronous self-paced work online, and then March 27-28 on Zoom and April 3-4 at the Law School.

Our mediation training is designed for lawyers and non-lawyers alike and is led by experienced mediators and trainers, William Logue and Loraine Della Porta. This training is focused around experiential learning; each participant will have many opportunities to apply and practice mediation skills and receive feedback.

Society for Dispute Resolution Fall 2024 Update

On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Quinnipiac Law Society for Dispute Resolution (SDR) hosted its annual intramural competition. The SDR intramural is unique in that students get to practice practical lawyering skills, AND the intramural is open to interested 1L students. This year, we proudly welcomed 22 members to our team! We would like to thank all of our student volunteers and attorneys who came in for the day to make the intramural a success!

The Society for Dispute Resolution will be sending teams to the following competitions this fall:

● ABA Regional Negotiation Competition (November)

● ABA Regional Arbitration Competition (November)

● Cardozo CINEMA Intellectual Property Negotiation Competition (November)

READ THE FULL STORY

2024 Restorative Justice & Juvenile Justice Symposium

The Connecticut Bar Foundation’s James Cooper Fellows and Quinnipiac University School of Law (QUSL) sponsor the John A. Speziale Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Symposia. The Symposium topic this year is “Restorative Justice & Juvenile Justice”. The Symposium will be held Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in QUSL’s Ceremonial Courtroom. Attendance is FREE. REGISTER NOW

Alumna Spotlight

Rebecca DeBiase, J.D, 2020

Rebecca DeBiase is a former fellow of the Center on Dispute Resolution (CDR), who graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2020. After earning her degree, Rebecca spent two years working at a private law firm, gaining valuable experience in various aspects of law, especially family-related cases. Rebecca currently serves as a Family Relations Counselor at the Bridgeport Superior Court. She works closely with parents and children in custody and visitation disputes, as well as other family-related matters.

Rebecca lives by the motto "Control your own destiny." She thinks this principle is particularly empowering for families facing challenges in family relations. Her commitment to this philosophy not only influences the way she practices law, but also inspires those she assists to embrace their own path forward to resolution and healing.

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Interview with Professor J. Kim Wright on Integrative Law

Prof. Wright teaches a course titled the “Integrative Law Approach and Negotiation Experiential” at Quinnipiac Law. Since she began teaching this class, Wright notes that, “What I have seen in the work I have been doing is that as our values shift, we are shifting the law.” Teaching students about conscious contracts early on in their career creates an entry point for young lawyers to experience their own values while practicing law.

Overall, the message of the class is to help law students with their professional identity. Wright notes that helping students be clear about who they are, so when they begin their careers, they use a more ethical decision making process because they have been practicing their own personal ethics through the coursework of the class.

For more information on J. Kim Wright check out her personal website and our tab on the Integrative Law Project Interview Series at Quinnipiac Law. 

READ THE FULL STORY

Prof. Carolyn “Carrie” Kaas Receives

The 2024 CLEA/AALS Externship Achievement Award

In September, the CLEA/AALS Externship Achievement Award Selection Committee selected Center Co-Director Prof. Carrie Kaas to receive the 2024 Externship Achievement Award. In giving Prof. Kaas the 2024 Award, the Selection Committee said: “We hope to see you at the Externships 12 conference in Boston MA in October, so we can honor you in person for your impressive accomplishments. We are so grateful for your work and dedication to your students, and the national externship community.”  

READ THE FULL STORY UNDER NEWS ON OUR WEBSITE

Fall 2024 Quinnipiac/Yale Dispute Resolution Workshops

"VOTING 2024 ACCESS, RIGHTS, AND RISKS"

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

• Alice Clapman, Senior Counsel, Voting Rights Program, Brennan Center
• Daniel Freeman, Trial Attorney, Voting Section, Department of Justice
• Danny Haidar, Liman Fellow, Assistant Attorney General, Michigan Attorney General's Office
• Terin Patel-Wilson, Liman Fellow, N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense Fund, "Black Voters on the Rise" Team
• Elizabeth Pierson, Attorney, Pines Bach LLP
• Larry Schwartztol, Professor of Practice, Harvard Law School, Faculty Director of the Democracy and Rule of Law Clinic

"The TRUST Network"

Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 12:10 P.M - 1:30 P.M, via ZOOM

The TRUST Network is a broad U.S. network designed to prevent violent conflict and build community cohesion. It was founded in October 2020 to track and respond to the frequent and intense acts of political violence and hate crimes, which occur across the U.S.

• Jennifer Grubbs, Ph.D., National Strategic Architect for the TRUST Network, Mediators Beyond Borders International
• Madhawa "Mads" Palihapitiya, TRUST Network, Co-Convenor, Program Director, Conflict Early-Warning Analytics Program, UMASS Boston McCormack’s Center for Peace, Democracy and Development
•  D.G. Mawn, M.A., J.D., TRUST Network, Co-Convenor, President, National Association For Community Mediation
• Jill Cardenas, Executive Director, The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, Inc., Savannah, Georgia

These DR workshops are co-hosted by The Center on Dispute Resolution, Quinnipiac University School of Law and The Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale.