Center for Mediation Services Hosts Mediation Training


Center Director Justo Sanchez leads a group discussion

In October 2007, the Center for Mediation Services hosted an intensive mediation training for city personnel, new Center mediators, and law students, in conjunction with the NYU Law School's Mediation Clinic. In addition to providing new city mediators with basic skills practice and orientation to mediating city workplace disputes at the Center, the session served as a foundation for the law students' semester-long Mediation Clinic. The Mediation Clinic was developed in the Fall of 2004 as part of an educational partnership between NYU Law School and the Center, with ALJ Ray Kramer co-teaching as Assistant Adjunct Professor.

This was the fifth such training session the Center has hosted, focusing on developing basic mediation skills. Over the course of four days, the training team and the trainees discussed concepts including general conflict and negotiation theory, the principles and limitations of mediation, and specific mediator techniques. Following group discussions, participants were split into simulation groups, led by "mediator coaches" who led the groups in a series of role-playing exercises. Throughout the simulations, trainees explored methods of structuring discussion of disputed issues and facilitating communication between disputants.

The law students have continued their training by serving as co-mediators at the Center.

Training participants included law students
and city personnel