Message from the Chairs

Greetings from the ADR Committee. A few words about the Section of Litigation Annual Conference, and some information to help you plan your summer (hint: New York City August 7–10, 2008 for the ABA Annual Meeting).

The Section’s Annual Conference was held April 16–18 in Washington, D.C., and coincided with a Papal visit to the District by Pope Benedict XVI. Of course, Section and ADR Committee members were busy networking and taking in programming at the Hyatt Regency Capital Hill, and by all accounts, the meeting was a huge success. Special thanks to our Program Chair Lori Sochin for another fantastic job orchestrating program submissions, and then coordinating with the panelists to ensure the Section’s usual high quality programming. And the Committee’s programs were well attended and extremely well received.

Thursday morning ADR teamed with the Consumer and Personal Rights Litigation Committee to put on a breakfast meeting titled Arbitration Under Attack: Are Mandatory Arbitration Clauses in Employment, Consumer & Franchise Contracts Against Public Policy? Despite the early hour the room was full and the discussion spirited and informative. Thanks to Committee member Neal Eiseman for planning the program and moderating the discussion.

Thursday afternoon ADR put on Mediation Advocacy: Advanced Techniques and New Developments. Utilizing “how-not-to” video clips, panel moderator Jeff Kichaven of JAMS led panelists Deborah Greenspan of Dickstein Shapiro LLP, Ken Roberts of Schiff Hardin, Andrew Shipley of Northrop Grumman, and Laurel Pyke Malson of Crowell Moring through a discussion of current trends in mediation and how to maximize opportunities for successful resolution. Thanks to everyone for putting together such a great program.

The meeting also featured the Committee Expo, where we had the opportunity to talk to meeting attendees about the ADR Committee and solicit new members during a concurrent reception for the Young Lawyers Division. We urge those of you who were there to get involved in the Committee, through contributions to the our publication, Conflict Management , our website, or any other area that suits you and your interests and expertise.

Finally, our Website Subcommittee Co-Chair, Rebecca Williams, was honored as one of Section’s Outstanding Subcommittee Chairs. Congratulations to Rebecca for this very well deserved honor.

As you can tell, there is much going on in the Committee, and we look forward to your continued, renewed, or new involvement. Please plan to join us in New York for the ABA Annual meeting, August 7–10, 2008. The Section of Litigation will be venued in the well positioned and well appointed Jumeirah Essex House. For more information (including reservations), and to register, click here. We look forward to seeing you in New York!

Robert L. Hines
Edward Mullins
Co-Chairs, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee