Even as legal departments, law firms, and law schools have taken steps to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, diversity among mediators and arbitrators lags behind other aspects of the legal profession. The need for diversity among mediators and arbitrators cannot be denied – open-mindedness and varied life experiences can only enhance and improve the experiences and outcomes for ADR participants. Despite that, the process by which mediators and arbitrators are selected still penalizes women and people of color by denying them the opportunity to gain the experience of the more often used “tried and true” mediators and arbitrators, the vast majority of whom are white men. A panel of seasoned mediators and arbitrators will discuss the impediments to progress in achieving diversity among arbitrators and mediators, as well as actionable steps in-house counsel and outside counsel can take to promote diversity in the ADR arena.
Key Takeaways:
• Appreciate that inherent biases that everyone has impacts parties' and participants views of the ADR process.
• Understand that diversity among neutrals and mediators is critical to the integrity of the ADR process.
• Identify strategies and actionable steps that each attendee can take to further the goals of achieving greater diversity among arbitrators and mediators.
Learning Objectives:
• Awareness of obstacles in lacking diverse mediators and arbitrators
• Ability to develop strategies to overcome any implicit or other biases to retain diverse neutrals
• Develop a more diverse group of mediators and arbitrators to serve clients
HOW TO REGISTER:
Although there is no fee to attend, you must register so the IADC can plan accordingly for the number of interested participants. To register, log-in with your IADC username and password. Each participant must register individually as Zoom links will be specific to each participant. If you have never attended an IADC event before, please create a guest account where requested on this site.
We hope that you will join us for this exciting and informative program.
NEW! Your IADC website profile. We recently updated member profiles to include your links to any virtual IADC meeting for which you are registered. Go to your account, and when you click to view/edit your account, go to the “Meeting Participation” tab. There you’ll find “Upcoming Virtual Meetings/Virtual Links” which includes your Zoom link for each of your registered meetings.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Professional Development, Melisa Maisel Vanis.