Originally from Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation

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The Covid-19 pandemic has been referred to as a liminal point in time— the “in-between.” It is a good time to pause and evaluate where we are as individuals and as an ADR profession.

During this time, many turn to reflecting on “what was” and “what will or should be.” There are at least three categories of challenges that have been magnified by the pandemic that compel us to be attentive to them and to shape them as best we can, lest the users of our services, and the communities of which we are a part, be detrimentally impacted. I refer to the challenges associated with diversity and inclusion, the use of online technology, and conflict resolution innovations.

There is a tension between “if not now” and “when?” And also with the words of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who said that real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.