From humble beginnings as an area of study in the Civil Justice Clinic, the Lodestar Dispute Resolution Program, has grown into a nationally recognized center of excellence for teaching and scholarship in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Through the generous support from the Lodestar Foundation, the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law's institutional commitment to the Program, and the hard work of its faculty and students, the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law recently received the prestigious Ninth Circuit ADR in Education Award.

 

History
In the past ten years, Arizona State University’s dedication to advancing ADR education has grown from an idea to a national award-winning program.  In 1993 Professor Bob Dauber recognized ADR as an emerging field and made the study of mediation a requirement for the students in the Civil Justice Clinic.  By 1996, the mediation component of the Civil Justice Clinic became a small mediation clinic that now is one of the school’s most popular clinical offerings.  Professor Art Hinshaw directs the Lodestar Mediation Clinic and teaches several other ADR courses, in addition to serving as the Program’s Director.     

 

While the clinical side of the school’s ADR program was growing in the 1990s, two nationally prominent ADR practitioners, Bruce Meyerson and Marty Latz, started teaching courses in mediation, arbitration and negotiation at the law school as Adjunct Professors.  As their courses became more well-known, student demand for more ADR courses continued to where ASU regularly offers seven separate ADR courses.  In addition to increased course offerings, ASU’s ADR research capabilities have expanded as well.  In 2000 ASU hired Roselle Wissler, Ph.D., to conduct empirical research concerning mediation and ADR.  Dr. Wissler, a prominent social scientist with extensive experience in studying court-connected mediation programs, is now the Program’s Research Director.   

 

As ASU’s commitment to ADR education within the law school has increased, that commitment also extends beyond the walls of the law school.  The law school’s faculty has been instrumental in the increased use of ADR processes, particularly mediation, in the Arizona court system.  Over the past 10 years, Professors Meyerson and Dauber have chaired a variety of committees charged with the responsibility of improving the courts’ use and understanding of dispute resolution alternatives.  Dr. Wissler has assisted a number of state and federal courts on ADR issues such as program design and effectiveness.  Furthermore, ASU’s adjunct faculty conduct some of the nation’s most highly sought out continuing legal education seminars.