Course and Career Planning Information for Students Interested in Negotiation, Mediation, Dispute Systems Design, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
ADR Course Information
Students interested in a focus on problem-solving approaches to lawyering including alternative methods of dispute resolution should consider taking as many courses directly related to negotiation, problem-solving, and dispute resolution a possible during their time at the Law School.
The introductory course in problem-solving and ADR is the Negotiation Workshop (offered during the January and Spring semesters). The Negotiation Workshop presents a basic overview of the theory and practice of negotiation, with a special emphasis on skills development. As the introductory course in this area, it does not have a substantive (e.g. environmental, corporate, international, public interest, etc.) legal focus. Instead, stimulations in the course cover a broad range of both dispute resolution and transactional contexts, from real estate to labor negotiations to family law. Students are exposed to the research and theory of negotiation and dispute resolution from a variety of disciplines as they practice and develop their analytical and interpersonal negotiations skills. Students planning to take only one course in ADR are encouraged to take the Negotiation Workshop. Students with a more-focused interest in this area of practice are encouraged to take the Negotiation Workshop as early as possible during their time at the Law School (preferably in the spring of their first year) in order to maximize their ability to take other advanced negotiation-related classes, which lists the Negotiation Workshop as a prerequisite.
Upon completion of Negotiation Workshop, the school provides a number of different opportunities for students to continue their work in ADR.
For those who hope to practice the skills and concepts acquired in the Negotiation Workshop, we recommend the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Seminar .
For those who would like to deepen their theoretical understanding of the field, there are several advanced courses in Negotiation, each dealing with a focused domain: Dispute Systems Design, for those who expect to work in the area of dispute resolution and litigation; Deal Set-Up, Design, and Implementation for those who plan to do transactional work; and International Negotiation, for those with a special interest in international negotiations. The school also offers an advanced seminar on Negotiation: Dealing with Emotions.
In addition to courses focusing on negotiation, law students interested in ADR can also take Mediation and, when offered, Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution and International Commercial Arbitration.
Outside of the classroom, the law school supports non-curricular student-run organizations dedicated to ADR. These include Harvard Negotiators, the Harvard Mediation Program, and the Harvard Negotiation Law Review.
Beyond the slate of courses and extracurricular activities offered at the Law School, we encourage students to consider selecting from specialty courses in negotiation and conflict resolution offered at the Program on Negotiation consortium schools, particularly courses at Harvard Business School, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts, and the Kennedy School of Government. Students can find a partial listing of dispute resolution and negotiation courses offered at other schools at http://www.pon.harvard.edu/drd/course_index.php.
Students should also seek out additional classes that will help them build a strong, interdisciplinary skill-set. Student course selection should include those that will build the skills central to the role of a problem-solving lawyer. Many of these are interdisciplinary in nature and focus on economics, client-counseling, psychology, values, and interpersonal skills. A sample list of such supplemental courses is below:
Supplemental ADR Courses
Introductory Course:
Negotiation Workshop
Courses Directly Related to Problem-Solving and ADR:
Dispute Systems Design
Mediation
International Negotiation
Negotiation Workshop
Negotiation & Mediation Clinic
Other Recommended Courses Related to Problem Solving and Dispute Resolution:
Administrative Law
Analytical Methods for Lawyers
Behavioral Law and Economics: Frontier Issues: Seminars
Community Action for Social and Economic Rights
Complex Litigation and Mass Tort
Empirical Analysis of Law
Facts and Values: Law, Empirical Evidence, and Social Theory: Reading Group
Federal Courts and the Federal System
Future of the Large Law Firm: Seminar
Idealogy, Psychology, and Law: Seminar
Labor Law
Law and Psychology – The Emotions: Seminar
Legislation
Motivation: Seminar
Problems and Theories
Professional Services
Social Movements, Law Stories, and Law Making
Trust, Vision, and Doubt in Ethics, Politics, and Law
Information for ADR Career Planning
The Complete Lawyer
This website focuses on the professional and personal development of lawyers. It is designed for lawyers who want to improve the quality of their professional and personal lives and who hope to achieve a practice that integrates their personal values with their professional aspirations. Several former graduates of Harvard’s negotiation program write for the newsletter.
One particularly interesting issue of the newsletter is:
http://www.thecompletelawyer.com/volume3/issue5/index.php
Alternative Dispute Resolution World of Law: November 1, 2006
Moderated by Harvard Law School Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Robert Bordone, this career panel was co-sponsored by HMP, OCS and OPIA. Panelists included Elizabeth Marcus, Emily Epstein and Amy Cohen.
Feedback Training
A brief presentation led by Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Robert Bordone on providing helpful feedback.
Internships & Job Opportunities
Job and internship list compiled by the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Skills, Networks & Knowledge: Developing a Career in International Peace and Conflict Resolution
Skills, Networks & Knowledge: Developing a Career in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, by Dr. Craig Zelizer (Senior Partner, ACT) and Dr. Linda Johnston (Director, Conflict Management Program at Kennesaw State University) is the first survey of employers regarding career opportunities within international peace and conflict resolution. It will be of interest to employers, to students and professionals pursuing a career in this field, and to the academic and professional organizations that seek to prepare them.
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