2023 National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) Assembly

DATES

• October 2-3, 2023

LOCATION

• George Mason University (Mason Square), 3351 Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22201

PRICE

• $25-$430

NAFCM is pleased to announce its first national Assembly in many years which will be held on Monday evening, October 2nd, and all day on Tuesday, October 3rd, at George Mason University’s Arlington campus in Arlington, Virginia. Our Assembly will be held the day before the ACR conference begins - itself an event many NAFCM members attend. As befits our times, the Assembly will be a hybrid event with some face-to-face workshops on the GMU campus and plenary events that will be live streamed. NAFCM has not held a national Assembly in many years, and we plan to do so roughly every third year going forward.

We will use the day to assess where our community has come in the nearly sixty years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and NAFCM’s creation thirty years later. Together, we will explore:

• The shoulders we stand upon through a reconsideration of the first sixty years of our field

• The stars we reach toward through an examination of where community mediation should go from here:

We will do so by exploring where we have been in a series of breakout sessions and group discussions in the morning and then do the same in the afternoon to brainstorm about our next steps.

We will gather at a time of unprecedented division in the United States and around the world. While community mediation on its own will not yield solutions to our interconnected racial, economic, environmental, political, and other problems, it is safe to say that our country and other nations around the world have never needed community mediation more.

The NAFCM Assembly will bring together senior officials, thought leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to explore how our field must evolve, with strategic foresight and innovation, to strengthen existing instruments of community mediation and create new strategic approaches and architectures to manage conflict and prevent violence in our communities during these times of tectonic geopolitical shifts.

NAFCM is grateful that we can offer tickets to this event at the rate shown since ticket fees and taxes have been covered by generous NAFCM donors!

Register Today

LIDRC – Basic Mediation Training

Fall Basic Mediation Training

DATES

• October 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, & 27, 2023

TIMES

• 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

PRICE

• $1,475

FORMAT

• The training will take place using Zoom video conferencing.
• Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers provide training materials digitally.
• Participants must have access to a device compatible with Zoom and Wi-Fi.

Register Today

Fisher Law Practice: 24 Hour Virtual Initial Mediation Training (Part 146 Approved)

DATES

• October 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19

TIMES

• 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

PRICE

• $1,200 per person

LOCATION:

• Virtual

DISCOUNTS:

• NYSDRA Members receive a $50 discount. Please reach out to info@nysdra.org for the discount code.
• Financial Aid is available for several spots. Contact info@fisherlawpractice.nyc for more information.

PRESENTER:

• Genesis Fisher, Esq.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Our comprehensive 24-Hour Virtual Initial Mediation Training explores conflict resolution theory, provides essential intervention approaches and the space for participants to practice new skills in group problem-solving and role plays. In addition to the core processes, skills, and values of mediation practice, this workshop explores: collective problem-solving to spot and address common issues; context and identity in conflict; and best practices for in-person and virtual mediation sessions. A mixture of interactive lectures, small group work, exercises, and role plays, we keep the learning atmosphere lively and engaging.

This training prepares participants to mediate in private, court, and community contexts. 

Approved under Part 146 by the NYS Unified Court System’s Office of ADR Programs. This course meets the 24-hour requirement for Initial Mediation Training. 20 CLE Credits Available (Professional Practice, Skills, Ethics).

* PLEASE NOTE: 

• Final placement on any court roster is at the discretion of the local Administrative Judge and participation in a course that is approved does not guarantee placement on a local court roster. Pursuant to Part 146, court-based mediation rosters require both a combination of mediation training and experience mediating. Acceptance on court rosters depends on a court’s need for mediators at any given time and may include a court’s need for mediators with specific case-type training or experience and mediation experience.
• For registrants unaffiliated with a Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC), completion of the training does not guarantee a place on a center’s roster. Acceptance on a CDRC’s rosters depends on a center’s need for mediators at any given time and may include additional requirements outlined at the center level. If you have any questions about mediating cases at a CDRC in your community, or for questions related to this training, you may call our office at (518) 687-2240.  

Primary Faculty/Trainer Bio:

Genesis Fisher, Esq. is the founder of Fisher Law Practice, P.C. which helps businesses create healthier workplaces by addressing office tension. Through mediation, coaching, and employee education, the FLP team gets people talking so they can share their frustrations, address differences and repair trust. Their award-winning workshops have helped over 2000 people in seven countries. Ms. Fisher is a Certified Mediator, Former President of the Association for Conflict Resolution, Greater New York, an EDNY mediator, and on the Advisory Board for the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution which provides conflict resolution services to over 70 NYC agencies.

Ms. Fisher sas been an Adjunct Law Professor since 2014 and taught over a dozen courses such as negotiation, conflict resolution, and legal writing. She has been teaching mediation since 2017, as the former Director of the New York Law School Mediation clinic, courses at John Jay College and Rutgers Law School, the New York Peace Institute’s apprenticeship program, coaching in court training programs, and creating innovative mediation courses for leaders in the private sector.

Graduates include attorneys, judges, social workers, techies, HR leaders, advocates, C-Suite, counselors, government officials, business owners, and students.

Prior to starting her firm, Ms. Fisher spent a decade fighting for the rights of indigent clients as a public defender and working on national civil rights issues at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Ms. Fisher is a graduate of Smith College and New York University School of Law.

To Register

• Register here.

View The Training Flyer Here

Anti-Bias Training 

Register Here

DATE:

• Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023

TIME:

• 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

LOCATION:

• Virtual: Zoom

PRICE: 

• $375

DISCOUNTS:

• Free Admission for CDRC Affiliated Staff & Mediators. 
• NYSDRA Members receive a $125 discount.
• Financial Aid is available upon request.
• Please reach out to info@nysdra.org for discount codes and more information on the training.

PRESENTER:

• Theo Cheng, ADR Office of Theo Cheng

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

As ADR practitioners, we strive to provide fair and equitable dispute resolution services to all parties involved. However, unconscious/implicit biases can influence our decisions, and serve as barriers to providing access to justice to participants in ADR processes. Recognizing and learning how to address or even strategically use these barriers in single and multi-party ADR engagements is a critical skill for today’s ADR neutrals. ​

Join us for a NYS court compliant, engaging Anti-Bias Training, led by Theo Cheng, a highly regarded authority in the ADR field, where you will learn how to recognize, address, and interrupt biases in your practice, and develop skills for creating more inclusive and respectful conflict resolution processes. ​​

Through this interactive program, attendees will define and better understand the nature of these biases and discuss ways to interrupt and/or correct for them consistent with ethical and professional obligations to oversee the integrity of your ADR proceedings.  ​

Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your ADR practice and promote equity and inclusion in conflict resolution, while also satisfying your professional requirements*. ​

This training is being offered virtually to allow for greater access.​ 3.5 CLE credits available. Financial aid offered.

*NOTE: This training satisfies the requirements of Admin Order AO124-22 (effective January 1, 2023), which outlines that all mediators and neutral evaluators serving on court rosters under Part 146 (22 NYCRR §146), all arbitrators and special masters who serve in court-sponsored programs, and all neutrals who provide services as a part of the Community Dispute Resolution Center Program must complete at least two hours of anti-bias training every two years in order to be compliant with NYS Court requirements and guidelines.  

PRIMARY FACULTY/TRAINER BIO:

Theo Cheng is an independent, full-time mediator and arbitrator, focusing on commercial, intellectual property, entertainment, technology, and employment disputes. Among other rosters, he is a member of Resolute Systems’ Commercial and Employment panels of arbitrators and mediators, the Commercial and Employment arbitration and mediation rosters of the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, and the Panel of Distinguished Neutrals of the CPR Institute. He was also appointed to the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s List of Arbitrators and Mediators and the Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center’s List of the World’s Leading Technology Neutrals. In 2019, he was inducted into the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, and in 2022, he was inducted as a Fellow into the College of Commercial Arbitrators.

Theo has conducted over 600 arbitrations and mediations involving commercial and business disputes, breach of contract and negligence actions, trade secret theft, employment discrimination claims, wage-and-hour disputes, and intellectual property infringement contentions. The New Jersey State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section presented Theo with the 2020 James B. Boskey ADR Practitioner of the Year Award, and the National Law Journal named him a 2017 ADR Champion. He was also voted in the Top 3 of the 2022 Best Individual Arbitrators by the readers of the New York Law Journal and the 2021 Best Mediator/Arbitrator by the readers of the New Jersey Law Journal.

REGISTRATION

• Register here.
• Registration will close at noon on Friday, May 19th, 2023. 

View The Training Flyer Here

EDNY - What Lawyers Want In Mediation

Register Here

DATE:

• Thursday, May 18th, 2023

TIME:

• 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

LOCATION:

• Virtual: Zoom

PRICE:

• This program is FREE and open to the public.

PRESENTERS:

• David Berger, Founding Partner at Allegaert Berger & Vogel LLP 
• Elena Paraskevas-Thadani, Principal at EPT Legal LLC 
• Paul Radvany, Professor at Fordham Law School, Mediator and Arbitrator 

MODERATOR:

• Danielle Shalov, ADR Administrator at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

This training is an interactive panel discussion and presentation of data collected from attorneys who participated in court-annexed mediation at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Topics include, what pre-mediation contact is most productive, what obstacles the attorneys encounter, how mediators can help attorneys navigate the process, and ethical issues that arise in mediation. The presentation will conclude with smaller working groups to allow for an interactive learning experience. 1.5 CLE credits available. 

REGISTRATION:

• Register here
• Please contact Danielle Shalov at (718) 613-2578 or danielle_shalov@nyed.uscourts.gov for more information on the training. 

View The Training Flyer Here

NYSDRA ACCES-VR Mediator Training  

Register Here

DATES: 

• Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 
• Thursday, March 30th, 2023 

TIMES: 

• 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM 

LOCATION 

• Virtual: Zoom 

PRICE  

• $250 

DISCOUNTS: 

• Free Admission for CDRC Affiliated Staff & Mediators 
• NYSDRA Members receive a $125 discount 
• Please reach out to info@nysdra.org for more information. 

PRESENTERS: 

• Amber Kane, ACCESS VR Mediator & Trainer 
• Patrick Nagle, NYS Education Department’s Quality Assurance/Monitoring Unit 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 

This two-day training is designed for CDRC staff and affiliates to become newly trained in mediating ACCES-VR cases, or for current practitioners who wish to "refresh" and sharpen their existing skillset in this area.   

Presented by Patrick Nagle from the NYS Education Department’s Quality Assurance/Monitoring Unit, and Amber Kane, a mediator specializing in inclusive practice. The ACCES-VR Mediator Training will be experiential and skills-based, ensuring participants receive hands-on, practical training and opportunities to practice existing skills while also learning new strategies gained through a series of activities designed to support inclusive, compliant and high-quality practice.  

Attendees will leave this training not only with a thorough understanding of ACCES-VR's mission, services, and history, but also with a solid foundation of skills to deftly mediate sessions involving participants with differing abilities.  Upon completion of this training, participants will be eligible to mediate ACCES-VR cases referred by NYSED. 

In order to reduce barriers and allow for the greatest degree of access, NYSDRA’s 2023 ACCES-VR Mediator Training will be delivered via Zoom and is being provided at no cost to CDRC staff and affiliates.  

PREREQUISITES: 

In order to eligible to mediate ACCES-VR cases referred by the NYSED, registrants must have: (1) already taken a Part 146 approved Basic Mediation Training (BMT); (2) completed an apprenticeship; and, (3) been an active mediator for at least a year OR have mediated at least three cases independently.  

*PLEASE NOTE: 

• All Community Dispute & Resolution Centers (CDRCs) accepting ACCESS-VR cases are expected to have a trained ACCES-VR mediator available for processing these cases. NYSDRA anticipates that its planned upcoming outreach activities may generate an increase in case referrals to the center. For this reason, we encourage each CDRC to send at least one mediator to participate in this training. We believe that this training will be a valuable opportunity for mediators to expand their knowledge and skills, and for CDRCs to build their capacity.  
• For registrants unaffiliated with a Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC), completion of the training does not guarantee a place on a center’s roster. Acceptance on a CDRC’s rosters depends on a center’s need for mediators at any given time and may include additional requirements outlined at the center level. If you have any questions about mediating ACCES-VR cases at a CDRC in your community, or for questions related to this training, you may call our office at (518) 687-2240.  

REGISTRATION: 

• Register here.
• Registration will close on Wednesday, March 15th, 2023. 

View The Training Flyer Here

Lemon Law Arbitration Training

Register Here

DATES:

• Monday, March 6th, 2023
• Tuesday, March 7th, 2023

TIMES:

• 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

LOCATION:

• Virtual: Zoom

PRICE:

• $750

DISCOUNTS:

• Free Admission for CDRC Affiliated Staff & Arbitrators.
• NYSDRA Members receive a $150 discount.
• Financial Aid is available upon request.
• Please reach out to info@nysdra.org for discount codes and more information. 

PRESENTER:

• Stephen P. LaLonde

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 

This two-day comprehensive and interactive training covers the basic requirements for Lemon Law Arbitrators in New York, including: general arbitration process, its application to Lemon Law warranties, and NY Civil Practice & Rules in Article 75 Arbitration. Participants who complete the course are deemed to have fulfilled the training requirement to provide fee-based arbitration. 12 CLE credits available. Financial aid offered.

PREREQUISITES

Participants are required to have completed Basic Mediation Training and an Apprenticeship, as well as, worked on mediation cases solo prior to this training. 

PRIMARY FACULTY/TRAINER BIO:

Stephen P. LaLonde is a private practice arbitrator hearing cases in labor-management, employment, commercial, securities, and other areas. He has been in arbitration practice for 36 years. Through LaLonde Dispute Resolution Services, LLC, he provides arbitration, fact finding services, and neutral facilitated negotiations to individuals and public/private businesses and organizations. He serves on arbitration and dispute resolution panels including those of the American Arbitration Association, NYS Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, NYS Education Department, the NYS Dispute Resolution Association, and the Center for Dispute Settlement as well as several direct party appointment panels. Mr. LaLonde has received commendations from the NYS Unified Court System and the Center for Dispute Settlement for his work in community mediation and arbitration. He was selected by the New York State Attorney General’s Office to provide statewide arbitration training and technical assistance for NYS General Business Law §198 arbitration proceedings and has done so for the past 28 years.

Mr. LaLonde is also a trainer/consultant who provides training, instruction and program design in interpersonal and group conflict, arbitration, interpersonal and group negotiations, interest-based negotiations, labor arbitration, labor-management collaboration, grievance handling, contract administration, discipline and discharge and other organizational, labor-management & labor relations topics. He has over 46 years of experience in education, training, instructional program design and evaluation and has authored or co-authored numerous curricula. Mr. LaLonde earned his M.S. Ed. degree in education and curriculum design from SUNY Brockport and holds both New York State Provisional and Permanent Teaching Licenses. In addition, he holds the Graduate Certificate in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

REGISTRATION:

• Register here.
• Registration will close at noon on Thursday, March 2nd, 2023. 

View The Training Flyer Here