Students in the Mediation Clinic participate in various court- and community-based dispute resolution programs in New York City. In addition, the Mediation Clinic offers free dispute resolution services to the Columbia community.

The Mediation Clinic gives those students who may make mediation part of their professional lives a good start in terms of both skills and ethics. It helps students see the benefits and limitations of mediation and other dispute-resolution techniques so that they can responsibly counsel clients about their choices; it helps students understand how feelings, background values, and personal style affect performance in a professional role; and it provides quality assistance to parties whose disputes the clinic mediates. In the classroom, students receive mediation-skills training and analyze the ethical, systemic, and jurisprudential issues involved in the ADR movement. The "texts" for class include the mediations that students observe or conduct, as well as readings, tapes, and role-plays that highlight important issues in the development of mediation practice. In addition, students observe "neutrals" (mediators) at work in a variety of settings.

Students mediate actual community disputes at the Community Mediation Center at Safe Horizon, a nonprofit victim-assistance, advocacy, and violence-prevention organization. Typical cases include disputes between neighbors, roommates, and co-workers, as well as business and organizational conflicts. Students also mediate civil cases at New York City Civil Court Personal Appearance Part and small claims cases at the Harlem Small Claims Court, as well as employment-discrimination claims brought by federal employees and referred by EEOC administrative law judges.

"Columbia's clinics offer a chance for students to do something out of the classroom that has direct practical application. What attracted me to mediation in particular was that it teaches skills—and requires that you develop and use them—in ways that are applicable not just in the mediation setting but in a lot of different settings. Mediation is largely about problems that people have, but problems are compounded by more elusive emotional issues. My favorite part of the clinic was learning how to really listen to people and understand what they mean as well as what they say. The most challenging part was putting my own opinions aside and accepting that the main goal was for the parties to come to an agreement that they both found acceptable."

Michael Brown '03

The Columbia Law School Mediation Clinic provides an informal and confidential forum where participants can discuss their concerns. The mediators are trained law students who act as neutral third parties. With the help of mediators, the parties sit down together and generate solutions. Unlike a judge, a mediator does not decide who is right or wrong. The mediator simply helps the participants communicate and, when appropriate, reach an agreement that respects the needs and interests of all parties. Mediation is a confidential, voluntary process.

WHY MEDIATE?

Disputes, conflicts, and complaints are a normal part of University life. Mediation allows parties in a dispute to control the outcomes of their conflicts. Mediation can work well for people who want to avoid the stress and inflexibility of more formal procedures or for people who need to continue working relationships. Many kinds of conflicts can be resolved successfully through mediation.

Mediation can help resolve a range of issues including disrespectful treatment, noise complaints, harassment, assault, discrimination, and property damage. Disputes occur throughout the university community and between a variety of parties; for example, between students, between roommates, between faculty members and students, or between co-workers.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF MEDIATION

Mediation works best when all the parties involved are present to discuss the issues that are the source of conflict. The neutral mediator helps create an environment where all participants have equal and full voice. Such open communication helps people in conflict listen to one another's viewpoints and identify the underlying issues and interests. In this way, the mediation process allows participants to find meaningful resolutions to their disputes. Often participants leave mediation better able to communicate and resolve conflicts in the future.

HOW TO REQUEST MEDIATION

The Columbia Law School Mediation Clinic offers free dispute resolution to members of the Columbia Community. You can request mediation by:

• Call us at (212) 854-4291
• Email us at: mediation@law.columbia.edu
• Click here to complete an online request for mediation. Information requested is confidential and will only be used by the mediators and their supporting staff.

Professor Carol Liebman
cliebman@law.columbia.edu