Alternative Dispute Resolution Section hosting online conference

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Michigan will host its 2021 ADR Annual Conference, Meeting & Awards titled “Meeting People, Meeting Needs” online Friday and Saturday, October 8-9.

The virtual conference schedule includes:

Friday, October 8


• 8 a.m.—Networking

• 8:30-8:45 a.m.—Welcome and Introductions with Betty Rankin Widgeon, chair, ADR Section of the State Bar of Michigan, 2020-2021, of Widgeon Dispute Resolution PLC; and Erin Archerd, chair-elect, ADR Section of the State Bar of Michigan, University Detroit Mercy School of Law

• 8:45-9:40 a.m.—Incorporation of Restorative and Peacemaking Principles into Domestic Mediations, with Sydney L. Sinclair, restorative practices program manager at the Resolution Services Center; Peg MacDougall, program manager, Resolution Services Center of Central Michigan, Lansing; Susan Butterwick, Wayne State University Law School; Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Timothy P. Connors; and moderator Paula Zera, facilitative mediator at Mediation Management Services

• 9:45-10:40 a.m.—What’s New in Domestic Violence Screening Protocol and Practice, with Charity Burke, executive director, Oakland Mediation Center; Lore A. Rogers, staff attorney for MDSVPTB; Annette Wells, executive director, Community Mediation Services; Robert “Bob” Wright, mediator and arbitrator, The Peace Talks PLC; and moderator Zena D. Zumeta, Mediation Training & Consultation Institute

• 10:45-11:40 a.m.—Bringing Eldercaring Coordination to Michigan: The Time is NOW! Or The Who, What, Where, Why, How and NOW!, with Sue Bronson, co-chair of the Association for Conflict Resolution Elder Justice Initiative on Eldercaring Coordination; Linda Fieldstone, co-chair of the Association for Conflict Resolution Elder Justice Initiative on Eldercaring Coordination; Antonia Harbin-Lamb, licensed staff attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services Michigan-Elder Law and Advocacy Center; Kristie King, executive director for the Senior Regional Collaborative; and moderator Zena D. Zumeta

• 11:45 a.m.-noon—Break

• Noon-12:15 p.m.—Welcoming Remarks, with Betty Rankin Widgeon, Erin Archerd, and Michael S. Leib, ADR Section Skills Action Team co-chairperson, Leib ADR LLC

• 12:15-12:30 p.m.—Remarks by Incoming State Bar President Dana Warnez, Schoenherr, Cahill, & Warnez PC

• 12:30-1:25 p.m.—The Past, Present, and Future of Dispute Resolution, with Robert (“Bob”) Mnookin, professor of law and chair of the Harvard
Program on Negotiation,

• 1:30-2:25 p.m.—Diversifying the Practice of ADR: Lessons Learned Mediating in Diverse Communities and Conflicts, with Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Edward Ewell Jr.; Paul F. Monicatti, attorney, mediator, arbitrator; Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Patricia P. Fresard; and moderator Lisa W. Timmons, Mediation Tribunal Association

• 2:30-3:25 p.m.—Michigan ADR Case Law Update, with former ADR Section Chair Lee Hornberger

• 3:30-4:25 p.m.—Strategic Planning Your Next Mediation, with Sheldon J. Stark, mediator and arbitrator

• 4:30-5:25 p.m.—Why Professionalism and Civility are Important for Successful Mediations and Techniques to Deal with Unprofessional Participants,
with Tracy L. Allen, Global Resolutions PLLC; Sherrie L. Farrell, office managing member, Dykema; Michael S. Leib; and moderator Edward H. Pappas, ADR Section Skills Action Team co-chairperson, Dickinson Wright PLLC

• 5:30-6:30 p.m.—ADR Section Awards

• 6:30-7:30 p.m.—Networking

Saturday, October 9


• 8 a.m.—Networking

• 8:30-8:55 a.m.—ADR Section Annual Business Meeting

• 9-9:55 a.m.—Impartiality, Implicit Assumptions, Biases and Arbitral Justice, with Michelle P. Crockett, Miller Canfield; Theresa Smith Lloyd, Lloyd Law PC; Former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Preston Young; and moderator Janice Holdinski, vice president, American Arbitration Association

• 10-10:55 a.m.—Million Dollar Questions in Mediation, with Earlene Baggett-Hayes, attorney, arbitrator, mediator, trainer; and Lisa W. Timmons, Mediation Tribunal Association

• 11-11:55 a.m.—Exploring Strange New Worlds–What Star Trek Can Teach Us about ADR, with Erin Archerd; Dale Ann Iverson, principal, JustMediation PLC; Maria Wick, associate director, Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center, Grand Valley State University

• Noon-12:45 p.m.—Break

• 12:45-1:40 p.m.—Mediation in Landlord-Tenant Disputes, with Marc Stanley, executive director, Southeastern Dispute Resolution Services; and Zeina Baydoun, executive director, Wayne County Dispute Resolution Center

• 1:45-2:40 p.m.—Multicultural Mediation in Israel, The Challenges and Potential, with Orit Asnin, Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators

• 2:45-3:40 p.m.—Faith-Based Mediation: A Biblical Example, with Anne Bachle Fifer, mediator, trainer, peacemaker; and Stephanie A. Wilkins, mediator & conflict resolution specialist, Base Collaborations

• 3:45 p.m.—Closing Remarks and Adjournment, with Erin Archerd and Edward H. Pappas

To register for the free online conference, visit https://connect.michbar.org/adr/home.