A Thank you to Roger Hanshaw

On November 11, Roger Hanshaw, a registered parliamentarian and fellow WVU Law student, spoke to us about parliamentary procedure  and Robert's Rules of Order. In the brief hour that we gave him, Roger discussed the hierarchy of authority with regard to how organizations are run (Starting at the top with law, and ending at the bottom with "this is just how things have always been done ..."), and gave us some insight as to how Robert's Rules of order are used. He further provided some suggested books, including "Roberts Rules in Brief." 

Roger's talk was very informative, and very well received. In attendance were several faculty members, as well as over twenty students! The ADR Society thanks roger for taking the time to give us such a great overview of a highly sought after and practical piece of knowledge. Thanks Roger!!

WVU ADR Press Release makes it to the WVU Today page!

http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2010/11/19/wvu-law-students-lend-skills-to-mon-county-schools-grad-nation-initiative

It looks like the WVU Today folks chopped out the participant list from the copy of the press release we sent to them :( Thanks to all who have helped out with the Grad Nation project: Lauren Turner, Ulysses Jaen, Elizabeth Moore, Marianne Monkam, Michelle Green, Dennis Kittle, Professor Michael Blumenthal, John Hickey, Judy Reckart, Brian Corcoran, Janet Scarcelli and Professor Tom Patrick.

WVU Law ADR Students Lend Skills to Monongalia County Schools’ Grad Nation Initiative

October 29, 2010 – Morgantown, W. Va.  – West Virginia University College of Law Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Society members are working with community volunteers to assist with the Monongaila County Schools’ (MCS) Grad Nation initiative. WVU Law students are facilitating a series of community forums conducted by the MCS Grad Nation initiative to address issues associated with local high school drop-out rates. The students also will assist with consolidating and reporting forum results to the Monongalia County Board of Education and The Education Alliance of West Virginia by Dec. 31, 2010.

In preparation for the forum facilitations, WVU Law professor Tom Patrick instructed a half-day training session Sept. 25 for 12 students and community members who volunteered to assist with the 12 scheduled Grad Nation forums. In attendance were Lauren Turner, Ulysses Jaen, Elizabeth Moore, Marianne Monkam, Michelle Green, Dennis Kittle, Professor Michael Blumenthal, John Hickey, Judy Reckart, Brian Corcoran, Janet Scarcelli and Professor Tom Patrick. The training equipped forum facilitators with skills required to conduct meaningful discussion among forum participants and to encourage participants to share their perspectives on key issues impacting high school students’ decision to leave school before graduation.

MCS is one of four West Virginia school districts awarded $10,000 grants from The Education Alliance to solicit community input on strategies for improving the state’s high school graduation rate. The district’s initiative will conclude with a public Grad Nation forum at Mountaineer Middle School 6-8 p.m. Nov. 17.

“The Monongalia County Schools and several WVU colleges have enjoyed long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships,” said MCS superintendent Dr. Frank Devono. “To my knowledge, the ADR students’ assistance with our Grad Nation initiative is the first collaboration between the public schools and the WVU College of Law. We appreciate the students’ involvement and look forward to future collaborative opportunities.”

Good Forum

Good job on setting this up, Brian. It seems a more inviting forum for communication than the TWEN site.

John

A Thank you to Mike McDowell

This past October 13, we welcomed Michael McDowell, an accomplished arbitrator and mediator from the Pittsburgh area, to talk to us about the rising need for alternative dispute resolution in the legal profession. Mr. McDowell discussed the value of conducting mediation or arbitration in not only small claims cases but complex litigation cases as well. He also highlighted the importance of mediation to a wide variety of legal practitioners, noting that many state court systems are requiring litigants to engage in some form of ADR prior to trial.

“West Virginia law students have excellent additional opportunities for ADR training through the West Virginia Bar, and can gain mediation training and experience through the Magistrate Court Mediation Program, which provides opportunities for students to mediate actual disputes in Magistrate Court” said Mr. McDowell. “ WVU law students who take advantage of these opportunities can develop a solid background in ADR by the time they graduate, giving them a leg up on students from many other universities where these opportunities are not available.”

Mr. McDowell's talk was very interesting, and very practical. Everyone who attended walked away with a smile and some new information. He also gave us his top three suggestions for ADR related books (look for those links on the site soon :))! Not only are we lucky to have such a supportive college and State Bar, but we are also VERY lucky to be in such close proximity to such a wonderful resource and mentor as Mr. McDowell. We appreciate him taking the time to come down to WVU and talk to us, and look forward to hearing from him again!

First Post

Hi! This is the first post of hopefully many discussing the news and activities of West Virginia College of Law Alternative Dispute Resolution Society. Stay tuned for more :)