Client/ Partner Relationship

Some call them clients, we call them partners

In order for our clinic to achieve its goal of preparing the next generation of lawyers to be dispute systems architects in the ‘real world’, we need the active participation of partners facing real world challenges who are willing to work with us.  We warmly invite conflict resolution practitioners, businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and community groups to consider whether our clinic might suit their needs. 

Our partners work with us for a variety of reasons.  Some are motivated by the idea that they might directly contribute to the formation of a new generation of more holistic dispute resolution experts.  Others are motivated by the quality of the clinic’s students and final work product, whereas still others see this cooperation as a low-cost recruiting tool for talented, Harvard educated dispute management practitioners.  Whatever their motivation, partners demonstrate a remarkable level of trust in our clinic and our students by asking for our assistance. 

How do partnerships with the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP) work?

Partnerships are formed when organizations or individuals who need advice on how to handle a negotiation or dispute approach HNMCP asking for our assistance.  HNMCP’s capacity to partner with an organization is constrained by the number of students who register for the course, and any prior commitments we may have to other partners.  HNMCP generally requires for projects to involve real stakeholder contact, either with the client organization or with the client’s stakeholders.  HNMCP is therefore unable to work on projects that pose insurmountable cultural, geographic or language barriers.
  
During the semester, a clinical faculty member supervises the day-to-day student work, while a contact person at the partner organization gives strategic advice and direction to the project.  Students are expected to work between 10 and 20 hours per week, either on-site with the partner organization, or independently in HNMCP’s office space, depending on the needs of the partner and the nature of the assignment.  At the end of the semester, students produce the agreed-upon deliverables – such as a policy recommendation on how best to approach a negotiation, a conflict analysis, or a proposal for a dispute system design – to the partner organization.  Students are graded by their faculty supervisor based on the content of the deliverable and feedback from the partner organization’s contact person.

How you or your organization can get involved

We are always looking to identify possible partner organizations willing to work on conflict management-related projects with our clinical students.  If you or your organization finds this option attractive, please do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.