ADR SYMPOSIUM: JUDGES & ADR

Judges play multiple and important roles in court-connected “alternative” dispute resolution. This includes, of course, referring or ordering cases to these processes, but also enforcing negotiated/mediated settlement agreements and arbitration awards and overseeing the incorporation and quality of dispute resolution in the courts.

This symposium will explore pressing questions, such as:

• What important dispute system design and ethical considerations should judges consider as they initiate or implement the use of new dispute resolution procedures and neutrals?
• Should judges take more responsibility for the quality of court-connected dispute resolution processes, including ensuring that regular feedback is sought from litigants regarding their experience with such processes and the neutrals?
• Should judges ensure that data is collected and reported to enable the comparison of negotiated/mediated settlements to trial outcomes?
• Should judges be required to engage in a more rigorous fairness review before incorporating settlement terms into consent decrees, stipulated judgments and agreed judgments?

Confirmed Speakers include:

• Justice (Ret.) Nathan L. Hecht, former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
• Judge (Ret.) Jeremy Fogel, former Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California; former Director, Federal Judicial Center; founding Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute
• Judge (Ret.) Wayne Brazil, former Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California; Arbitrator and Court-Appointed Neutral, JAMS
• Judge Robert Levy, Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York; Judicial Director of the Eastern District’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs
• Judge Joel P. Fahnestock, Judge, 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, District 9
• Professor Jennifer K. Robbennolt, Alice Curtis Campbell Professor of Law and Co-Director, Illinois Program on Law, Behavior and Social Science, University of Illinois College of Law
• Professor Ellen E. Deason, Professor of Law Emerita, Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law
• Professor Kristen Blankley, Henry M. Grether, Jr., Professor of Law, University of Nebraska College of Law
• Professor Charlotte Alexander, Professor of Law and Ethics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business
• Professor Peter Reilly, Professor of Law and Associate Director, Aggie Dispute Resolution Program, Texas A&M University School of Law
• Professor Cynthia Alkon, Professor of Law and Director, Criminal Law, Justice & Policy Program, Texas A&M University School of Law

*CLE information:

• This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 5.50 credit hours, of which 0 credit hours will apply to legal ethics/professional responsibility credit.
• Texas A&M School of Law, as the CLE sponsor, will submit CLE attendance to the State Bar of Texas by March 31, 2025 for all verified attendees (in-person or online) who are members of the State Bar of Texas and provided their valid Texas Bar Card Number at registration.