Originially from: World Arbitration and Mediation Review (WAMR)

Hamline University School of Law:
Pioneering Dispute Resolution Programming At Home and
Abroad
by James R. Coben
The 1990's have seen a dramatic expansion in the use of Alternative
Dispute Resolution ("ADR") throughout the world. Courts regularly order
mediation, arbitration, or other dispute resolution processes in a wide
range of case types. ADR is increasingly recognized as an essential part of
legal training. Local, state, and federal agencies are mandated to design
and implement dispute resolution mechanisms to manage public conflict.
In the private sector, corporations are putting a premium on preventive
dispute resolution. Elementary and secondary school educators
optimistically turn to peer mediation as one potential solution to the
epidemic of violence plaguing our nation's public schools. The restorative
justice movement boldly challenges traditional assumptions of the
criminal justice system. All this takes place in the shadow of globalization
of the world economy with its increasing transnational character
demanding innovative, non-domestic forums for dispute resolution. These
trends have encouraged, and been encouraged by, a proliferation of
conflict resolution programming at American graduate institutions.
Although just celebrating its 25th anniversary and being the smallest
of three law schools in Minnesota, Hamline University School of Law has
in a very short time achieved national recognition as one of the top ten
American law schools in the field of Dispute Resolution. What has
Hamline done to warrant such attention? The answer is multi-faceted:
comprehensive academic programming which puts a premium on
exploring the nexus between theory and practice; recruitment of the very
best ADR faculty from around the nation to enrich the efforts of its own
dedicated staff; a commitment to complement core academic
programming with concrete consulting and project initiatives in
Minnesota and elsewhere to influence the practice and evolution of
conflict resolution; actions locally but planning globally to exploit
opportunities for internationalizing the study and practice of dispute
resolution; and a willingness to recruit and value non-legal consumers of
our offerings in order to enrich the educational experiences for all. And,
all of this activity occurs in the shadow of a University-wide commitment
to conflict resolution programming.