Students in the mediation clinic complete a 24-hour mediation skills program, observe mediations conducted by experienced mediators, then mediate cases of their own. Students settle disputes between neighbors, landlords and tenants, and family members, and disputes in the workplace. They work with such organizations as Safe Horizon, Manhattan Civil Court, Harlem Small Claims Court, and the EEOC. The experience of students is enriched by community members who participate in the clinic skills training.
In class, students develop their problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, examine the circumstances in which mediation is an appropriate form of dispute resolution, address policy and ethical issues raised by the increasing use of mediation by courts, and explore the role of the lawyer in mediation, both as mediator and as counsel to a client considering or participating in mediation.
