The Best Schools And Programs For Dispute Resolution

At Marquette University, ADR courses aren’t limited to prospective lawyers. The school offers a 15-credit certificate program in dispute resolution for working professionals. However, the master’s program for practicing attorneys requires 33 credits, which is capped off by a project or thesis paper. Along with standard courses in mediation, arbitration, and negotiation, the program also features electives covering areas like healthcare, the workplace, education, and families. The school’s Interdisciplinary Center for Dispute Resolution Education also conducts mediation training to public and private organizations in Milwaukee and beyond.

The view of lawyers as problem solvers and advocates is the foundation of Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law. At the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution, mediation is treated as a sometimes grueling and endless process that must account for human emotion as much as the codified law. The program offers both a Certificate in Dispute Resolution to J.D. students and a LL.M. in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy to practicing attorneys. Students can gain real-world experience by enrolling in the program’s two-semester clinical program or participating in community mediation and conflict resolution programs. Cardozo is best known for its Security Arbitration Clinic, where students can mediate cases sent to them by organizations like the New York Stock Exchange. The school has also developed a strong reputation in conflict resolution competitions, including several top-five finishes in 2013-2014 competitions.

The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution is a major draw at the Boyd School of Law. The center supports scholarly presentations and research on dispute resolution, along with maintaining one of the discipline’s largest library collections. The center also delivers continuing education to the legal community, including summer institutes that provide best practices in environmental, securities, and criminal disputes. The school’s dispute resolution curriculum, which covers mediation, negotiation, ADR, and arbitration, is conducted out of the Saltman Center.

The Lodestar Mediation Clinic is among the most popular courses at Arizona State’s O’Connor College of Law. It requires students to spend at least five hours a week in the field either observing or conducting mediations in the Maricopa County courts. Although the university offers numerous courses in ADR, the program heavily integrates dispute resolution concepts and practices in many other courses and clinics.
 
 

The Northwestern University School of Law combines civil litigation and dispute resolution into one concentration. But don’t think dispute resolution isn’t a priority here. In fact, the school offers 13 sections of its negotiations course each year. In addition, ADR is part of the school’s Bluhm Legal Clinic, which encompasses 20 centers and 14 clinics and acts as an in-house law firm. As a result, students can gain court and mediation experience in a variety of legal specialties. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of the Bluhm Legal Clinic means that students can collaborate with students from other schools, such as Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
DON’T MISS: 
The Best Law Schools for Teaching Excellence 
The Best Schools For Intellectual Property
The Best Law Schools For Clinical Training
The Best Schools for Practical Training
The Best Schools And Programs for Tax Law
The Best Schools and Programs For Environmental Law
The Best Schools And Programs For International Law
The Best Schools And Programs For Legal Writing