WVU ADR Society hosting Anita Casey, Executive Director of WV State Bar

The West Virginia University College of Law's ADR Society is honored to be hosting Anita Casey, Executive Director of the West Virginia State Bar, on Monday, March 5 at noon in Room 164. She will be discussing ways to get involved in mediation at the various levels. Thanks to Jennifer Dempsey for providing the short bio below:

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Anita Casey is a native of Charleston, West Virginia. She attended the University of Kentucky where she received undergraduate degrees in english and education and a master’s degree in library science. After working as a librarian early in her career, Mrs. Casey decided to go to law school. She travelled to WVU where she earned her law degree in 1982.

After graduating from the WVU College of Law, Mrs. Casey practiced law for 25 years. As a partner at what became MacCorkle, Lavender & Casey PLLC, Anita focused primarily on civil defense litigation and worked extensively as a mediator. She has conducted hundreds of mediations and arbitrations, both in her private practice and while serving as a panel member for United States Arbitration and Mediation, Resolute Systems Inc., JAMS/Endispute, and Justus/MANA. She was selected as a “Super Lawyer” in the West Virginia Super Lawyers magazine and was recognized four consecutive years (2005-2008) as one of the Best Lawyers in America. In addition to practicing and mediating, Mrs. Casey has spoken numerous times for the National Business Institute, WVU College of Law’s Continuing Legal Education Program, the WV State Bar, WV Trial Lawyers, the Defense Trial Counsel of WV, and Kanawha County Schools, among others.

In 2008, Anita Casey became the first female Executive Director of the West Virginia State Bar and she still holds this position today. Apart from her work in and out of the courtroom, Anita regularly volunteers with her church and her son’s Boy Scout troop. She also served as an officer for various athletic organizations and on the Keep-A-Child in School board of directors. 

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Feel free to email me with any questions. Hope to see you there!

Alicia Lauderman

President, WVU Alternative Dispute Resolution Society

alauderm@mix.wvu.edu

WEST VIRGINIA STATE BAR SPONSORS MAGISTRATE MEDIATION TRAINING AT WVU COLLEGE OF LAW

WEST VIRGINIA STATE BAR SPONSORS MAGISTRATE MEDIATION TRAINING AT WVU COLLEGE OF LAW 

January 28, 2012 – Morgantown, W. V.  – The West Virginia State Bar, in cooperation with the WVU College of Law and the West Virginia University College of Law Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) Society provided mediation training for more than 65 law students, alumni, and attorneys on January 28^th 2012. The training, hosted at the WVU College of Law and coordinated by Professor Tom Patrick, utilized the skills of attorney volunteers Mike McDowell, Dan McDowell, Brian Corcoran, Shannon Smith, Jonathan Board, Earl Maxwell, Burton Hunter, Desiree Lyonette, and Debra Scudiere, Chair of the West Virginia State Bar ADR Committee, as well as Harrison County Magistrate Tammy Marple and Monongalia Magistrate Clerk Caroline Stoker to provide training and coaching for WVU law students and a handful of Wesleyan students at the all-day event. There were also several experienced student mediators on hand to assist with coaching and training: Dee Simmons, John Hickey, Brady Christopher, Jeremy Cooper, Jaime Ritton, Marianne Monkam, Alicia Lauderman, and Richard Karnes.

Once trained, trainees can mediate cases in the Magistrate Courts in Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Upshur counties, as well as other participating counties throughout the state. Mediation is a process where a neutral third party, the mediator, assists the parties to a dispute in negotiating a mutually beneficial agreement. If an agreement is reached, then the case need not be adjudicated. 

“Mediating cases helps lighten the docket in the counties in several ways” said Harrison County Magistrate Tammy Marple. “Clearly if a case settles, then there is one fewer case on the docket, but the mediation process often helps expedite the proceedings for those cases that don’t settle, because the parties have sat down and thought through the issues with a mediator beforehand.” Law students also benefit from mediation. Mediation fosters useful lawyering skills and provides perspective into the point of view of the disputing parties.  

Mediations take place in each of the five participating counties once a month. Students and local attorney volunteers travel to the counties and mediate cases in the late afternoon. Mediation is also a significant part of Circuit Court proceedings. In West Virginia Circuit Courts, mediation is required in most civil matters.

West Virginia State Bar’s ADR Committee focuses on building the base of attorneys in West Virginia who have skills in the area of mediation, arbitration, and negotiation. The mediation training available to law students helps to further the Committee’s goals, while also providing community service and skills training opportunities to the students.

The ADR Society is a student organization dedicated to promoting student interest in ADR at the West Virginia University College of Law. The Society helps students gain an understanding of and promote the use of ADR as an effective alternative to litigation. The Society provides students with the opportunity to hear from prominent ADR experts in the field and to organize and participate in local mediation trainings and competitions. Additionally, the group is instrumental in maintaining the Magistrate Court mediation program in West Virginia by organizing and volunteering for monthly mediation.

Judge Michael Aloi Speaking at WVU College of Law

The ADR Society will host its first speaker of the year, Judge Michael Aloi, on Monday, November 14, at noon in the Lugar Courtroom. This event is open to the public. He will be speaking on perspectives of mediation from the standpoint of a mediator, a lawyer, and a judge.

Judge Aloi has been appointed to the 16^th Judicial Circuit serving Marion County. He is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and a 1983 graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law, where he received both Order of the Coif and Order of the Barristers. Before taking the bench, he was an attorney with Manchin and Aloi Attorneys at Law in Fairmont for 28 years and is past president of the West Virginia State Bar.

Mr. Aloi was recognized as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the Appalachian Center for Law and Public Service in 1997 and was also recognized as the West Virginia Association for Justice Member of the Year in 2001. In April 2006, the West Virginia State Bar Foundation honored Mr. Aloi as a Foundation Fellow. He received a Certificate of Merit from the West Virginia Bar in 2008 for outstanding service. He has been selected for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Super Lawyers” for ADR. Mr. Aloi is the only lawyer in West Virginia to be a Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and has received an AV rating from Martindale Hubble.

Mr. Aloi was selected as one of the original mediators by the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia for settlement week in 1987 and has mediated over 2,500 cases. He also served as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. He was selected as an Impartial Hearing Officer for the West Virginia Department of Education and served as Hearing Examiner pro tempore for the West Virginia Department of Human Rights and as a Hearing Examiner for the West Virginia Ethics Commission. He presently serves on the Board of the West Virginia Bar Foundation and is past Chairperson of the West Virginia State Bar Commission on Judicial Independence.

Please join us in welcoming Judge Michael Aloi. 

Questions or comments? Please contact Alicia Lauderman, President, WVU College of Law Alternative Dispute Resolution Society at alauderm@mix.wvu.edu

Conflict Resolution Day and Mediation Week

In honor of Conflict Resolution Day, Mediation Week, and on behalf of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society, I would like to recognize the contributions of all Magistrate Court coordinators and mediators for their commitment and hard work toward serving the citizens and courts of Preston, Marion, Harrison, and Monongalia Counties. The following members have kept mediations going throughout the summer months up until today:

• ·      Jeremy Cooper (Preston coordinator)
• ·      Jennifer Dempsey (Vice-President)
• ·      Dee Simmons (alumni)
• ·      Jaime Ritton (Mon coordinator)
• ·      Michael Nissim-Sabat
• ·      Roger Hanshaw
• ·      Sarah Patterson (alumni)
• ·      John Hickey
• ·      Rachel Livingood
• ·      Sherman Neal
• ·      Amy Treadwell (visitor)
• ·      Marianne Monkam (Mon coordinator)
• ·      Brittany Furr (Harrison coordinator)
• ·      Thomas Norton (Treasurer)
• ·      Brady Christopher (Secretary)
• ·      Professor Tom Patrick (Faculty Advisor)
• ·      Adam LoCascio
• ·      Ben Visnic
• ·      Travis Brannon (Marion coordinator)
• ·      Drew Kirkner
• ·      Katie Dean
• ·      Kassi Garan
• ·      Richard Karnes 

I’d also like to extend my thanks to last year’s President, Brian Corcoran, Esq., for his continued support. Additionally, thanks to those who have expressed interest and joined us to observe:

• ·      Pat Callahan
• ·      Marlon Rhine
• ·      Terry Beeman

Our Treasurer, Tom Norton, figured up settlement statistics this past weekend. Our mediators have helped settle approximately 47% of the disputes we’ve heard in Magistrate Court since last February! This public service would not have been possible without you. Your support is a positive reflection on your commitment to professionalism, the Magistrate Courts, and for WVU College of Law. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Alicia Lauderman

President, WVU Alternative Dispute Resolution Society