Podcast appearances and mentions of colin rule

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews Morgan Duffy Tregenza (Mo), Founder and CEO of Levelheaded, about her path into the field and her vision for https://www.belevelheaded.com/, a startup mediation service provider in Colorado. Mo is working hard to turn Levelheaded into the world's most easy-to-use and prolific mediation platform. Levelheaded's mission is to make the world a less litigious place. She currently serves as the President of the Mediation Association of Colorado where she helps to make mediation readily available in the State of Colorado. She often testifies in the Legislature in advocating for mediation as an accessible and viable option for resolving disputes. Prior to starting levelheaded, Mo ran her own mediation practice.  She's written children's books and designed, developed and launched a photobook app for busy families.  Learn more about Mo here: https://coloradomediation.org/mediator/court-mediation-services/ Learn about Levelheaded here: https://www.belevelheaded.com/

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews Professor Kelly Browe Olson about her chapter in the new book (that she also co-edited) entitled Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. Kelly's chapter is titled "Intimate Partner Violence and Family Dispute Resolution: Coercion, Capacity, and Control" and it covers the dialogue between victim advocates and family mediators over the past few decades, the importance of screening (not only at the beginning but throughout the mediation process), and issues in the future as mediation moves more online. This podcast is part of a continuing series interviewing authors from Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. About the book: "Over the last 50 years family justice systems in the United States and elsewhere have evolved from a predominant adversarial approach focused on litigation to the significant integration of more collaborative, settlement-oriented approaches, especially mediation. In Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice some of the field's leading practitioners, researchers, teachers, and policymakers provide an overview of the modern family dispute resolution processes designed to help separating and divorcing parents make decisions about the future of their families. Chapters in this book address the growth of divorce mediation and other specialized processes including parenting coordination, arbitration, child-inclusive mediation, and online dispute resolution. They describe how to work with families experiencing issues including domestic violence, high conflict, substance misuse, and the lack of legal representation. Case management initiatives and special issues, including social science research and conflicting standards of practice, are also explored. Family Dispute Resolution provides a wide-ranging look at contemporary family dispute resolution processes and is essential reading for everyone interested in learning more about working with separating and divorcing families, including professionals, and law and graduate students." Buy it here:  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/family-dispute-resolution-9780197545904 https://www.amazon.com/Family-Dispute-Resolution-Handbook/dp/0197545904

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews Emeritus Professor from the University of Missouri School of Law John Lande about his experience creating an AI (PrivateGPT) trained on all of his writing over the past forty years. Starting from the beginning, when John didn't know much about AI, he narrates the experience of training an LLM (Large Language Model) on his collected writings and evolving the AI into a coach (called RPS Coach) which is now able to support different types of users (e.g. parties, lawyers, and mediators) helping them find success in their efforts to craft solutions to conflict. We chew over about what this means today, but also where this all may be headed over the longer term as AIs get more powerful and more pervasive throughout the academy and throughout our lives. You can access RPS Coach here: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-67bdbff0204c81919bae3f14ac7810dc-rps-negotiation-and-mediation-coach   Some other pieces John has written about his experiences with AI include: A guide on using RPS coach: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5199282 RPS Coach and bias: http://indisputably.org/2025/03/rps-coach-is-biased-and-proud-of-it/ http://indisputably.org/2025/04/ai-can-help-students-learn-you-get-better-papers-and-you-know-its-theirs/ http://indisputably.org/2025/04/how-you-can-survive-grading-season-with-a-little-help-from-your-friend-rps-coach/    

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews dispute resolution giants Bernard Mayer and Peter Salem about the chapter they co-wrote in the new book Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. Peter and Bernie's chapter is titled "Family Mediation" and it covers the evolution of the practice of family mediation over the past few decades and makes some predictions about its future evolution as well. Our conversation takes a wide sweep over the evolution of the field, and even gets into some of the ways recent political changes might affect it moving forward. This podcast is part of a continuing series interviewing authors from Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. About the book: "Over the last 50 years family justice systems in the United States and elsewhere have evolved from a predominant adversarial approach focused on litigation to the significant integration of more collaborative, settlement-oriented approaches, especially mediation. In Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice some of the field's leading practitioners, researchers, teachers, and policymakers provide an overview of the modern family dispute resolution processes designed to help separating and divorcing parents make decisions about the future of their families. Chapters in this book address the growth of divorce mediation and other specialized processes including parenting coordination, arbitration, child-inclusive mediation, and online dispute resolution. They describe how to work with families experiencing issues including domestic violence, high conflict, substance misuse, and the lack of legal representation. Case management initiatives and special issues, including social science research and conflicting standards of practice, are also explored. Family Dispute Resolution provides a wide-ranging look at contemporary family dispute resolution processes and is essential reading for everyone interested in learning more about working with separating and divorcing families, including professionals, and law and graduate students." Buy it here:  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/family-dispute-resolution-9780197545904 https://www.amazon.com/Family-Dispute-Resolution-Handbook/dp/0197545904  

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews Jennifer Shack, Director of Research at RSI, about the chapter she co-wrote with Donna Shestowsky in the new book Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. Jen and Donna's chapter is titled "Implementing ODR in Family Court: Insights from the First Neutral Program Evaluation in the United States" and it shares conclusions from the first neutral evaluation of a family court ODR implementation in the US. This podcast is part of a continuing series interviewing authors from Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. About the book: "Over the last 50 years family justice systems in the United States and elsewhere have evolved from a predominant adversarial approach focused on litigation to the significant integration of more collaborative, settlement-oriented approaches, especially mediation. In Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice some of the field's leading practitioners, researchers, teachers, and policymakers provide an overview of the modern family dispute resolution processes designed to help separating and divorcing parents make decisions about the future of their families. Chapters in this book address the growth of divorce mediation and other specialized processes including parenting coordination, arbitration, child-inclusive mediation, and online dispute resolution. They describe how to work with families experiencing issues including domestic violence, high conflict, substance misuse, and the lack of legal representation. Case management initiatives and special issues, including social science research and conflicting standards of practice, are also explored. Family Dispute Resolution provides a wide-ranging look at contemporary family dispute resolution processes and is essential reading for everyone interested in learning more about working with separating and divorcing families, including professionals, and law and graduate students." Buy it here:  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/family-dispute-resolution-9780197545904 https://www.amazon.com/Family-Dispute-Resolution-Handbook/dp/0197545904

This episode involves two people with very distinguished careers. Bridget M. McCormack who now heads the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and Colin Rule, the founder of ODR.com just acquired by The AAA. Bridget has served in just about every role you can in the legal industry. She started her legal career in legal aid and as a public defender handling trials and appeals. She then moved to teaching law school, first at Yale and then Michigan. After her stint as an educator, she decided she wanted to help foster even more change and won a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court where she ultimately ascended to the position of Chief Justice. Fast forward to 2023 and she took the helm of the AAA. One of Bridget's biggest initiatives at AAA is bringing tech into the arbitration process and that is where Colin Rule comes in. He founded an online dispute resolution (ODR) company, about 15 years ago that ultimately became ODR.com which the AAA just announced it was acquiring. To say that Colin is an ODR OG is an understatement. He literally wrote the book on ODR way back in the early days of the internet. Ebay brought him on board in the early 2000s where he headed up the company's ODR function. In this episode Bridget and Colin discuss:  AAA's acquisition of ODR.com: The strategic partnership between AAA and odr.com to revolutionize dispute resolution. AI's transformative role in dispute resolution: How AAA is using AI internally and through external tools to improve efficiency and accessibility. The future of dispute resolution: A vision for a more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly system that leverages technology and data.   Episode Credits Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews Forrest (Woody) Mosten about his chapter in the new book Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. Woody's chapter is titled "Limited Scope Representation: An Important Tool and Peacemaking Catalyst for Family Dispute Resolution" and it examines unbundling and limited scope representation models for family cases. This podcast is part of a continuing series interviewing authors from Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. About the book: "Over the last 50 years family justice systems in the United States and elsewhere have evolved from a predominant adversarial approach focused on litigation to the significant integration of more collaborative, settlement-oriented approaches, especially mediation. In Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice some of the field's leading practitioners, researchers, teachers, and policymakers provide an overview of the modern family dispute resolution processes designed to help separating and divorcing parents make decisions about the future of their families. Chapters in this book address the growth of divorce mediation and other specialized processes including parenting coordination, arbitration, child-inclusive mediation, and online dispute resolution. They describe how to work with families experiencing issues including domestic violence, high conflict, substance misuse, and the lack of legal representation. Case management initiatives and special issues, including social science research and conflicting standards of practice, are also explored. Family Dispute Resolution provides a wide-ranging look at contemporary family dispute resolution processes and is essential reading for everyone interested in learning more about working with separating and divorcing families, including professionals, and law and graduate students." Buy it here:  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/family-dispute-resolution-9780197545904 https://www.amazon.com/Family-Dispute-Resolution-Handbook/dp/0197545904

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews Professor John Lande about his chapter in the new book Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. John's chapter is titled "Early Negotiation Processes" and it examines techniques like collaborative law, cooperative law, and settlement counsel. This podcast is part of a continuing series interviewing authors from Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. About the book: "Over the last 50 years family justice systems in the United States and elsewhere have evolved from a predominant adversarial approach focused on litigation to the significant integration of more collaborative, settlement-oriented approaches, especially mediation. In Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice some of the field's leading practitioners, researchers, teachers, and policymakers provide an overview of the modern family dispute resolution processes designed to help separating and divorcing parents make decisions about the future of their families. Chapters in this book address the growth of divorce mediation and other specialized processes including parenting coordination, arbitration, child-inclusive mediation, and online dispute resolution. They describe how to work with families experiencing issues including domestic violence, high conflict, substance misuse, and the lack of legal representation. Case management initiatives and special issues, including social science research and conflicting standards of practice, are also explored. Family Dispute Resolution provides a wide-ranging look at contemporary family dispute resolution processes and is essential reading for everyone interested in learning more about working with separating and divorcing families, including professionals, and law and graduate students." Buy it here:  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/family-dispute-resolution-9780197545904 https://www.amazon.com/Family-Dispute-Resolution-Handbook/dp/0197545904

J.P. Duffy is joined by Jeff Zaino, vice president of the AAA-ICDR's Commercial Division, to discuss the AAA's upcoming centenary and its enduring reputation as a trusted choice for resolving commercial conflicts across industries. The conversation delves into the AAA's significant milestones and accomplishments, highlighting its commitment to innovation, including its approach to AI and the recent appointment of Bridget McCormack as president and CEO. ----more---- Transcript: Intro: Hello and welcome to Arbitral Insights, a podcast series brought to you by our international arbitration practice lawyers here at Reed Smith. I'm Peter Rosher, Global Head of Reed Smith's International Arbitration Practice. I hope you enjoy the industry commentary, insights and anecdotes we share with you in the course of this series, wherever in the world you are. If you have any questions about any of the topics discussed, please do contact our speakers. And with that, let's get started.  J.P.: Welcome back to the next episode of Arbitral Insights, in which we'll discuss the American Arbitration Association with Jeff Zaino, who's the vice president of the AAA's commercial division. I'm J.P. Duffy. I'm an international arbitration partner based in New York that acts as both counsel and arbitrator in international arbitration seated around the world under a variety of governing laws and arbitral rules. I'm qualified in New York, England, and Wales in the DIFC courts in Dubai, where I previously lived and practiced. I routinely represent clients and arbitrations involving a range of issues and frequently sit as an arbitrator in commercial disputes as well. I also have the good fortune to be a member of the AAA's commercial division arbitrator roster, the ICDR panel, and I'm a member of the AAA-ICDR Life Sciences Steering Committee and a member of the ICDR Publications Committee as well. So I get to do a lot with the AAA, which is really a wonderful organization. As I mentioned, with me today is Jeff Zaino, who's the vice president of the commercial division of the AAA in New York. He oversees administration of the large, complex commercial caseload, user outreach, and panel of commercial neutrals in New York. He joined the association in 1990, and Mr. Zaino is dedicated to promoting ADR methods and services. He's also written and published extensively on the topics of electronic reform and ADR, including several podcasts with the ABA, talks on law, and corporate counsel business. And he's appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and Bloomberg to discuss national election reform efforts and the Help America Vote Act. He was deemed a 2018 Alternative Dispute Resolution Champion by the National Law Journal and received awards for his ADR work from the National Academy of Arbitrators, Region 2 and Long Island Labor and Employment Relations Association. In 2022, Jeff received the Alicott Lieber Younger Committee of the Year Award for the New York State Bar Association Commercial and Federal Litigation Section. And in 2023, the Chairman's Award, NYSBA Dispute Resolution Section. So as you can tell, Jeff is a highly experienced, highly lauded arbitration expert, but we're really lucky to have his valuable insights today. So before we begin with some of the substance, let me just give a little bit of background on the AAA and the commercial division so that those that are less familiar have a little bit of information about what we're going to discuss today. The AAA is a non-profit alternative dispute resolution service provider headquartered in New York that administers arbitrations, mediations, and other forms of dispute resolution, such as ombudsperson and dispute avoidance training. It was founded in 1926 to provide an alternative to civil court proceedings, and that makes the AAA one of the oldest arbitral institutions in the world, as well as one of the largest, having administered over 11,553 business-to-business cases in 2023 alone, with a total value of over $19.1 billion. So that should give you a pretty good idea of the scope of what the AAA does. Notably, the AAA has several divisions that offer users substantial subject matter expertise. For instance, the commercial division, which Jeff heads, specializes in business-to-business disputes of all sizes, but has a particular expertise with large complex cases across a variety of industries, including accounting, communications, energy, entertainment, financial services, franchise, hospitality, insurance and reinsurance, life sciences, sports, and technology. There are also separate AAA divisions that focus exclusively on construction issues, consumer disputes, employment matters, government issues, healthcare, and labor disputes. Lastly, as many of our listeners will know, the AAA has a well-known international division, the International Center for Dispute Resolution, or what's colloquially known as the ICDR, that focuses on disputes that have an international component. Before we get into some of our recent developments, Jeff, if you could tell us a bit about what makes the AAA different than other arbitral administrators, I'm sure our audience would love to hear that.  Jeff: Sure. Hey, thanks so much, J.P., for having me today, and thanks for the kind words at the beginning. It's great to be here today. Well, you mentioned it. The AAA is the largest and oldest ADR provider in the world. We have over 700 staff worldwide and 28 offices, including one in Singapore. And we have a huge panel, and you're on that panel. We have 6,000 arbitrators on our panel, and we consider them experts in the industry. And we're really proud of our panel. And like you mentioned, we're hitting our 100th anniversary in 2026. And since then, when I started, I started in the 90s, like you mentioned, 1990. From 1926, when we were founded, to 1990, we did a million cases, one million cases. And then, since then, from 1990 until now, 2024, we hit 8 million, 8 million cases. So it's growing. And I feel that's because of AAA, AAA-ICDR. Again, we've been around for almost 100 years, and we keep on growing. And I feel that we took the A out of ADR. I mean, everyone says alternative dispute resolution, but I really think now it's, and you'll probably agree with me, J.P., that it's dispute resolution. It's something in our toolbox and it's not alternative any longer. And then another thing about us, a huge difference about AAA-ICDR is we're not for profit. That makes us unique in this space. Profit-based companies are a little bit different than what we are. We're not criticizing them, but we're unique in the sense that we work directly for the parties, not for the arbitrators.  J.P.: That's a really interesting stat, Jeff. Let me unpack some of that because I think, first off, if I understood that correctly, you said up until 1990, there were 1 million cases administered. Is that right?  Jeff: That's correct. We did 1 million cases from our founding, 1926, a year after the Federal Arbitration Act in 1925. So we did 1 million when I came on board in 1990. And then from 1990 until now, we've done a total of 8 million. So we doubled that, or tripled it. It's been amazing how the growth that we've seen. And also during a pandemic, we saw a huge growth at AAA-ICDR.  J.P.: And Jeff, one thing that I think you're obviously very involved with the New York State Bar, and I've done quite a bit with the New York State Bar myself over the years. One thing that I noticed, and you just reminded me of this, was an uptick in submission agreements during the pandemic, by which I mean parties taking existing disputes for which there was no arbitration clause, drafting an arbitration clause for it to submit it and move it into arbitration. And I think some of that was a function of the recognition that disputes would founder if the courts were closed and that parties needed things done. Did you see that kind of growth during the pandemic of submission agreements as well?  Jeff: Absolutely. The courts were shut down, like you mentioned, for three to four months worldwide. And the ADR providers, like the AAA-ICDR, did not shut down. And we did have submissions, more submissions than we've ever seen. And usually it's only about, I would say, 2%, 3% of our caseload is submissions, but we saw the court systems. And I had, personally, I had over a billion dollar case, a bankruptcy case that came to us from Texas and it was mediated. We had two mediators, one in Connecticut and one in Texas. We had six parties, 40 people showed up on the Zoom, J.P., it was amazing. And that was a submission to AAA through the court system. The judge talked to the parties and said, listen, we're shut down. This is an important matter. Why don't you go to AAA? And so, yes, we did see submissions during the pandemic. I'm not sure if that's going to continue on. Most of our disputes are features of contract, as you know.  J.P.: Yeah. I mean, that's always going to be the case in arbitration, right? That the vast majority of cases will be subject to a pre-dispute arbitration clause. But I think it's really interesting when you see submission agreements like that, because I think it's a clear recognition that one, arbitration is a really valuable tool. And two, it's a real plus for the AAA and a real nod of confidence that those are submitted to AAA because that's parties taking something they know has to be figured out and saying, all right, AAA is the guy to do. I wanted to pick up, too, on that exponential growth of 8 million cases between 1990 and the present versus 1 million over the first, you know, what is that, 70-something years or 60-plus years?  Jeff: 60-plus years, absolutely, yeah. J.P.: Are there particular industries that you've seen significant growth in since the 1990 period that you were discussing, like between 1990 and the present? Are there particular industries that you are seeing more growth in or that you think there could be more growth in? Just be curious to get your views on that.  Jeff: Sure, sure. And my area of commercial, as you know, because you're on the commercial panel and the ICDR panel, is healthcare. And I know you're a big part of healthcare. Also, financial services. We've seen a huge growth in that in the last five years. We put together an advisory committee for financial services on insurance. And then also, as you probably know, consumer. We saw a big amount of consumer cases during the pandemic and even prior to the pandemic. And that's a big caseload. It's about 30% of our caseload at AAA-ICDR. But again, people criticize that sometimes and say, well, that's not fair to the consumer. They're forced into arbitration. But what I say, J.P., to law students and when I speak at events like this, I say, listen, we don't draft ourselves into contracts. AAA-ICDR does not do that. People draft us into contracts and we just try to make the process, we try to level the playing field. And we do a lot of consumer, but we do a lot of high-end commercial cases, as you know, a lot of international cases and things like that. But the two areas, I would say, a long way to answer to your question, J.P., is I would say healthcare and financial services, insurance, that's where we're seeing a lot of growth and also technology.  J.P.: The consumer aspect is one that is obviously very, very, very hot right now, given things like the mass arbitration rules and things like that. And we will probably touch on that in a bit, but it's a really valuable service to provide. And that's one thing that I think the AAA really does well. As you mentioned, it's a not-for-profit organization. It's not an organization that's out to make money off of consumer disputes. It's really there to help everybody resolve them. So something for everyone to keep in mind.  Jeff: The company bears the cost, not the consumer. And I hope people know that, that we're not out, like you said, we're not out to make a big buck on this. We're just trying to level a playing field and access to justice for these people.  J.P.: Yeah. And that's really what it is. At the end of the day, it's access to justice. And a lot of times the alternative is small claims court, which is not always a great choice. I've sat as an arbitrator in small claims court a few times, and I can tell you it's a great process when it works, but it can be a challenging process as well so  Jeff: Without a doubt.  J.P.: Always something to keep in mind. Yeah. Well, let's talk then about some of the recent developments because there have been quite a few. And as you mentioned, it's coming up on the centennial for the AAA-ICDR. And a lot has happened, obviously, in the 100 years of its existence, almost 100 years of its existence.  Jeff: Sure.  J.P.: And quite a few of those things are pretty monumental. And one of the biggest ones, I guess, is that in February 2023. Bridget McCormack took over as president and CEO of the AAA-ICDR from India Johnson, who was in that role for a lot of years. Bridget was previously the chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, if I'm correct, and was also a professor and associate dean at the prestigious University of Michigan Law School. So she brings a pretty extensive wealth of experience to the AAA. Now that she's been in that role for about a year and a half, how have things been different at the AAA-ICDR under Bridget's leadership?  Jeff: It's been wonderful. I mean, Bridget brings such life to the company right now. I mean, India Johnson was great. She put our house in order, our finances. but Bridget is now doing a wonderful job in getting out there. I'm not sure, J.P., have you met her yet?  J.P.: I have not had the pleasure of meeting her in person, but I'll sort of preview for our listeners that we are in the process of trying to get Bridget into our firm to talk to everyone about what the AAA-ICDR does and give sort of an insider's view for our partners.  Jeff: Oh, wonderful. She's such a dynamic speaker. If you go on YouTube, you'll see she speaks all the time. It's amazing. Whenever I ask her to speak at an event in New York, I feel bad about asking her because I know how busy she is, but she does agree. But I have to find a space in her calendar because if you see on LinkedIn, I know you're on LinkedIn too, J.P., and she is everywhere. It seems like every week she's speaking somewhere, very dynamic, and she embraces AI. And I know we're going to talk about AI a little bit, but also innovation. And she's been doing such a terrific job being the face of the AAA, and we needed that. India, again, did a wonderful job, but Bridget is out there and around the world doing international events, doing events here domestically. And it really, I think, is getting the word out there about ADR and about, well, I should say DR, sorry, dispute resolution, and also access to justice. Being a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Michigan, doing a terrific job. And really, the people in the company are very excited. We have 700 plus employees, and we're excited with our new president. It really has been a great time with her.  J.P.: You know it's funny. The one thing I've universally heard from anyone who works there when I ask about Bridget is everyone says great energy, great leadership, and really, really, really strong presence, which is really wonderful to hear because you seem to be echoing that pretty strongly as well.  Jeff: Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, when she works a room, when she talks at an event, and it's great. We're forward-looking right now, big time. The AAA now is looking, AAA-ICDR, looking towards the future with innovation, with ODR, and we're going to talk about that, and with access to justice, which I love. And she's doing a terrific job.  J.P.: Well, that's great to hear. And I think we are going to talk about odr.com in just a second. But before we do that, I'd just be curious, because they may well be the same thing. But what would you say Bridget's greatest accomplishment is so far?  Jeff: I would say being the face of the AAA and embracing new ideas. For years, we didn't really, we moved kind of slowly. We embraced new ideas, but we moved slowly like a battleship turning around or an aircraft carrier turning around. We moved slowly. We're not doing that any longer. Bridget wants to move on quickly, which is great, and embrace things that are going on. And I think we're ahead of the curve on a lot of things, with acquiring ODR, with our embracing AI, with her ideas about innovation, access to justice. We are, I think, really ahead of the curve with respect to these areas, ahead of law firms, ahead of some of our competitors. And I attribute that to Bridget.  J.P.: That's really great to hear. That's really great to hear. And it's really hard with a large organization to be nimble. Exactly. I know we do that pretty well at Reed Smith, I think, too, but it's a challenge, and it does require great leadership in order to get everybody on board with that. So it's wonderful to hear that's happening at the AAA-ICDR, and you see it.  Jeff: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. And also, we're almost 100-year-old organizations, so you would think that we wouldn't be thinking about these innovation things in the future, but we are, which is terrific. We're an old organization, but not really. We're ready for the future.  J.P.: Well, let's talk about that future a bit because it's clear that there's a strong focus on that. And one of the first things that I noticed is the odr.com resourceful internet solutions acquisition. So for those that don't know anything about that, maybe you could fill the audience in and give us a bit of background about that one and what it's done for the AAA-ICDR.  Jeff: Sure. We just recently, a few months ago, acquired odr.com. It's a company that's been around for approximately 25 years. Online dispute resolution that can be completely customized for your needs for online dispute resolution. And they've been doing a wonderful job for many years. Okay. obviously much smaller than the AAA-ICDR, but they've been working with us. I'm not sure if you know this, J.P., but they've helped us with our no-fault business in New York. They help us set up our system initially years ago. So we've had a relationship with them for probably two decades with ODR. So we recently acquired them and we're working with them. Their most important area is right now is mediation. They have mediate.com and we're looking at  our mediation.org and combining those two. Okay. And we want to expand our mediation business. And again, I mentioned it a couple of times, access to justice. We want high volume cases. Okay. We do obviously high-end cases, high dollar cases, but right now we're seeing with odr.com, we can spread the business, we can grow the business and we can expand our mediation business. And that's what we're trying to do because mediation is growing. As you know, J.P., it's it mediation has grown tremendously over the last couple of decades. But now with ODR online dispute resolution, I mean, it's going to really grow, I think. So that's what that's why we acquired it. And, you know, Colin Rule, I'm not sure, J.P., if you've ever met Colin Rule. The head of ODR.com.  J.P.: I have not had the pleasure.  Jeff: Yeah, he's he's phenomenal. know if anyone that's listening to this podcast, you just Google Colin Rule. He's been in this space for many, many years and he's a phenomenal person. And I'm really excited about this acquisition. And I think we're going to work so well together.  J.P.: Jeff, just for people like me that are a little bit less savvy with how some of these things work technologically and sort of mechanically, is odr.com and mediate.com is a function of that, right? Or a part of that?  Jeff: Yeah, it's a part of it. Yeah. And I believe they have arbitration.com, but now it's going to be merged in with the AAA. And the platform of odr.com is going to be used for our mediation services at AAA for online mediation services.  J.P.: Okay. That's what I was getting at. So this is like a platform where users or parties and the mediator all log in, communicate with each other. Exchange their positions, and do everything that way. So is it correct to say it's sort of a virtual mediation platform?  Jeff: Yeah, without a doubt. And now the timing is perfect, J.P., because we just came off the pandemic about a couple of years ago, and we were seeing, as you probably know, as an arbitrator at AAA, we were doing thousands of virtual hearings arbitration and also mediation, and it worked. It really worked.  J.P.: Yeah. And that's really one of the true benefits that came out of the pandemic, in my view. Prior to the pandemic, I had always done certain aspects of cases virtually. And there was video conferencing was something that you could suggest, but that parties and frankly, arbitrators were not always that willing to embrace. But I think the pandemic really showed everyone that you can do things virtually. Efficiently, cost-effectively, and in a way that you don't need an in-person hearing for, and that it can be really successful. So I'm sure the timing has been right for odr.com and that acquisition. In terms of integrating it, what's the full timeline for getting it fully integrated, if you don't mind my asking?  Jeff: Sure. I mean, right now we're focusing on mediation. Okay. That's going to be our focus for the next several months. And then I think we're going to try to see if we can move this into arbitration also, because we're still seeing a lot of arbitrations, not a lot. I mean, I would say that 30% of our arbitrations are still being done in the virtual world. We're starting to see, and JP you've been at my Midtown office in Midtown Manhattan on 42nd Street, and we're starting to see about 60 to 70% capacity as an in-person for arbitration. But there's still a segment that wants to do it in the virtual world. And this is where odr.com comes into play. And right now it's, but the focus right now is mediation and working with our mediation team at the AAA-ICDR.  J.P.: Got it. Well, you know, it's funny. I have an employment partner who told me the odds of them ever doing an employment mediation below a certain value in person again are slim to none.  Jeff: Interesting.  J.P.: Yeah. And I think you guys have really hit the nail on the head with this.  Jeff: Well, with labor similar to employment, we're seeing almost 80% of labor cases now in New York City, I'm talking, are being done virtual, maybe even a little bit more than that. They got so used to doing it in the virtual world for labor cases, union management. It's interesting to see where we're going with this. But commercial type disputes, the type that you handle, J.P., we're starting to see more people coming back into in-person. However, we're not seeing the days of a witness flying in from Paris for one hour because we have all the technology at the offices, our offices around the country, the voice activated camera. So we don't need to ship in people for one hour. It's a waste of money.  J.P.: Yeah. And that's, you know, that's really the great thing that this technology allows for, which is, you know, I just did a, to mention the hearing space, Jeff, I just did a pretty large week-long hearing earlier in the year at the AAA's offices on 42nd Street. And it was great, but there were, you know, and I do, you know, myself prefer in-person for certain things, but, you know, during that hearing, we had witnesses that were exactly what you're describing, I mean, really only required to confirm a few issues or give, you know, a short cross examination and they were located in pretty diverse regions. Absolutely no reason to incur the time or expense or frankly, just the headache of bringing those people in from around the world for scheduling purposes and everything else.  Jeff: Sure.  J.P.: We did those, you know, we did those witnesses virtually and that is a real, that's a real benefit. You know, you sort of do that hybrid approach and you can save, it's way more efficient, It's way more cost-effective, and it is just easier from a scheduling perspective. So this is a really great development.  Jeff: Yeah, and J.P., have you noticed, I mean, when you were probably at my office on 42nd Street, we have now the big monitors. And I've noticed that arbitrators like yourself and advocates like yourself are using more technology in the rooms. We have these cupboards in our hearing rooms where the binders used to go, the big binders for exhibits and things like that. No longer am I seeing that. Most arbitrators are now using our, we provide iPads, we have the big monitors, and it seems like people are going away from paper, which is great too.  J.P.: Yeah, it's funny. I'm sort of like probably the last of the Mohicans where people really had to do things like mini books. Like when I was a real junior associate, we would have hearing bundles that were in mini book form and they were, you'd have 55 volumes and everything would be in there. I mean, there's sort of those nightmare stories where parties would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just pulling together the paper for a hearing. And that, you know, that to me always seemed a little bit crazy. In this day and age, it is totally unnecessary. I would much prefer to have everything electronically. And that hearing space really allows for that. So really, really great to hear that parties are embracing that because it's such a cost savings and it's an efficiency. You know, it just doesn't need to be the way it was.  Jeff: Sure.  J.P.: Well, let's talk then a bit about some of the AI stuff that you were mentioning, because I think that is really, I have to confess, I don't understand it as well as I should. I think most people, if they were being honest, probably have an inkling of what it does, but don't really know. I'd love to hear what the AAA-ICDR is doing with AI, because it's a really, really, really groundbreaking development.  Jeff: Absolutely. Well, if you Google Bridget McCormack, our president, she speaks on AI quite frequently and it really has embraced it. And how have we embraced that AAA? Well, she encourages the staff to use it. And we have, she's even recommended certain programs that we should use. But with respect to how are we using it with respect to running our business? Well, we have ClauseBuilder and you know about ClauseBuilder. It's a tool that was developed in 2013 where people can go online and develop a clause for arbitration. Now we have ClauseBuilder AI, which as opposed to going through various modules with the original ClauseBuilder, you can just type in, I want an employment clause. I want three arbitrators. I want limited discovery. And the clause builder AI will build that clause for you. That's something we just rolled out. Also for arbitrators, scheduling orders. We have an AI program right now for arbitrators where a scheduling order usually takes an arbitrator, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, J.P., usually about an hour to two hours after you do the preliminary hearing. Well, now AI reduces that time to probably a couple of minutes for an arbitrator. So we rolled that out. And we obviously were having discussions about low dollar cases, high volume cases. Can AI be used? And we're looking into that. We haven't rolled that out yet. It's not going to eliminate you, J.P., but it's something that we're looking at right now. And we are embracing it. I use it for various things. I'll give you an example. I use it for if I'm doing an educational program, I'll type in, you know, I'm doing a program on arbitration and discovery. Can you give me a good title for this program? I've been doing this for years. I've used a lot of different titles for programs, and it's wonderful to use AI for those purposes and for editing things. So I like the fact that our company embraces it. Some companies do not. Some law firms, as you know, J.P., do not embrace AI. And we had that case last year where I think an attorney, it wasn't arbitration, it was litigation, where he cited cases through AI that never existed.  J.P.: Yeah, that's actually happened more than once since then. And it's been kind of amazing to me. Yeah, it's funny. We as a law firm at Reed Smith have definitely embraced AI. We've got a person who's sort of C-suite level that addresses that and that heads that function up. And I know we are trying to bring it in much more for things that are sort of routine, that don't require necessarily true attorney time. And it is a real game changer. I mean, you know, anybody who doesn't get on board with AI is going to get left behind at some point because it is truly, truly the wave of the future, in my view.  Jeff: Oh, absolutely. And the way I look at it, people say, well, it seems scary or whatever. But what about Google Maps and things that we've embraced years ago? I couldn't live, J.P., without Google Maps. So that's technology that it's going to help us. It's not going to take us over or whatever. It's going to help us enhance what we're doing.  J.P.: Yeah, I think the concerns about Skynet are a little bit, you know, Skynet and Terminator are a little bit far-fetched, but it is something that we all need to get on board with. It's a lot like the way that, you know, when I first started practicing the notion of uploading paper documents to be reviewed and then using search terms was really scary for a lot of people, but that, you know, that became commonplace and you couldn't function without it. This will do the same thing to the extent it's not the same. Now, Jeff, what's the overlap, if any, between that you see between some of the AI initiatives and odr.com?  Jeff: We're not really combining those yet, but I think we will. There's discussions about it, but right now we're focusing on mediation with odr.com and we're discussing rolling out AI with various things to help to assist our arbitrators, are mediators, but I think eventually, you know, there'll be a combination, I think, but right now there's not.  J.P.: Got it. Well, we'll stay tuned because I can't imagine those two things are going to stay in separate houses for too long. Well, we could talk all day about what's going on at the AAA-ICDR right now because it's just amazing. I mean, it's really incredibly, incredibly dynamic at the moment. But what I'd like to do is sort of shift ahead to looking ahead to the future. We talked a bit earlier about how the AAA is rapidly approaching its centennial anniversary, And that's kind of a natural reflection point for any organization. If you were to sort of sum things up and say, what accomplishments from its first century of existence that the AAA is most proud of, what do you think you would point to?  Jeff: Well, I would point to two things. First, how amazing the AAA-ICDR was and also other ADR providers. When pandemic hit, within a week, we were up with 700 employees doing thousands and thousands of cases. And I was worried about the arbitrators, not you, J.P., but other arbitrators with the technology. And our 6,000 arbitrators, it was flawless. It was amazing or seamless. It really went well. And that I'm very, very proud of because I had been with the AAA for a long time prior to that. And I was really concerned that the arbitrators weren't going to get it. We weren't going to be able to understand Microsoft Teams, Zoom, all that kind of stuff. So we did a great job during pandemic. We had some of our best years during pandemic with respect to helping society in arbitrating cases. But also some of the things that we've done for state and federal governments, you know, state and federal governments, Storm Sandy, Katrina. Those are the things I'm very proud of. I was a part of the Storm Sandy stuff where we administered 6,000 cases for homeowners and with insurance companies. And we were able to do that very quickly. And we're a not-for-profit. So the federal government and the state governments look at us and will hire us to do those kind of projects. And we can quickly mobilize because of our staff. So those two things really stand out in my career at AAA.  J.P.: That's a really, really interesting thing to point to because that truly embodies the best that the AAA can offer. It's an incredible service that really helped people with real-life issues during really challenging times. So wonderful to hear. What would you see for the next 100 years in the AAA? Like, you know, looking forward, I know it's going to be here for, it's going to be having its two, it's bicentennial at some point. It will absolutely occur. What would you see is, you know, if you were to fast forward yourself a hundred years and still be in the seat, because by then technology will have kept us all alive for the next hundred years, and you're Jeff Zaino 2.0, sitting around in 200 years, where would you see the AAA-ICDR at that point?  Jeff: Well, I'm on part of the committee for the 100-year anniversary. We have a committee already formed two years in advance to get ready for our 100th year anniversary, and we're talking about this stuff. And I think some of the themes that Bridget's talking about, access to justice, I think we're going to be, we saw from 1990 to now 8 million cases, we're going to see far more. We're going to see the public now embracing arbitration. When I was hired by the AAA in the 90s, I didn't even know what AAA stood for. I mean, with the name, American Arbitration Association. I didn't know what arbitration was. We are reaching out to law schools. We're doing collaboration with a lot of law schools in New York and throughout the country, throughout the world. And I think the word's going to get out there that arbitration is the way to go. Our mediation is too. And I'm excited about that. Also, we're going to see far more diversity at AAA and also in the community. And that's something that we really care about at the AAA. Right now, J.P., as you probably know, any list that goes out at the AAA is a minimum of 30% diverse. So we're going to see an increase in that area, but also access to justice for the public.  J.P.: Really, really great. And I think we will all watch with rapt attention to see what happens because it's only good things in the future for the AAA-ICDR, that's for sure. Well, Jeff, I just want to thank you. But before we wrap this up, I'm going to reserve my right to bring you back for another podcast because there's so much more we could talk about. So, but is there anything I missed that we should hit on now that would be great for the audience to hear? I know there's just so much going on.  Jeff: Well, I hope the audience when in 2026, when we have our 100th anniversary, I hope people participate in it because we're going to do things worldwide and we're going to be doing events everywhere. And that year we really are, we have a huge team of people that are working in our 100th year anniversary and not to just necessarily promote AAA-ICDR, but to promote arbitration and mediation. And that's what we're going to be doing in 2026, and I'm very excited about it.  J.P.: You heard it here first, folks. Arbitration is the future. And Jeff said it himself. So we will definitely watch closely. Well, good. And just to give a very quick preview on this one, too, because Jeff, you mentioned it. We are going to, in the future, have your colleagues from the ICDR side of the house come on, and we're going to bring some of the new folks from Singapore and a few other people. So more to come. And it's just incredible to see.  Jeff: We look forward to it. And J.P., I'd love to have another sit down with you. It's been great.  J.P.: Good. We absolutely will. So that then will conclude our discussion at the American Arbitration Association for now. And I want to thank our guest, Jeff Zaino of the AAA Commercial Division for his invaluable insights. And I want to thank you, the audience, for listening today. You should feel free to reach out to Reed Smith about today's podcast with any questions you might have. And you should absolutely as well feel free to reach out to Jeff. I know he's super responsive and he would love to chat with you directly if you have any questions. And we look forward to having you tune in for future episodes of the series, including future updates with Jeff and our podcast with the ICDR as well. So thank you everyone. And we will be back.  Outro: Arbitral Insights is a Reed Smith production. Our producers are Ali McCardell and Shannon Ryan. For more information about Reed Smith's global international arbitration practice, email arbitralinsights@reedsmith.com. To learn about the Reed Smith Arbitration Pricing Calculator, a first-of-its-kind mobile app that forecasts the cost of arbitration around the world, search Arbitration Pricing Calculator on reedsmith.com or download for free through the Apple and Google Play app stores. You can find our podcast on podcast streaming platforms, reedsmith.com, and our social media accounts at Reed Smith LLP.  Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice and is not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship, nor is it intended to suggest or establish standards of care applicable to particular lawyers in any given situation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Any views, opinions, or comments made by any external guest speaker are not to be attributed to Reed Smith LLP or its individual lawyers.  All rights reserved.  Transcript is auto-generated.

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews dispute resolution legends Ben Davis and Charles Crumpton on proposed revisions of the legal education standard 206 dealing with diversity in law schools. For more information on this proposed revision, see mediate.com/standard-206 About Ben: https://www.utoledo.edu/law/faculty/emeriti/davis-ben.html About Chuck: https://crumptoncollaborativesolutions.com/about-chuck/

In this episode, Colin Rule interviews Peter Salem and Kelly Browe Olson about their new book Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice. This is the kickoff interview for a full series of interviews with the more than 30 authors who wrote chapters for the book.   About the book: "Over the last 50 years family justice systems in the United States and elsewhere have evolved from a predominant adversarial approach focused on litigation to the significant integration of more collaborative, settlement-oriented approaches, especially mediation. In Family Dispute Resolution: Process and Practice some of the field's leading practitioners, researchers, teachers, and policymakers provide an overview of the modern family dispute resolution processes designed to help separating and divorcing parents make decisions about the future of their families. Chapters in this book address the growth of divorce mediation and other specialized processes including parenting coordination, arbitration, child-inclusive mediation, and online dispute resolution. They describe how to work with families experiencing issues including domestic violence, high conflict, substance misuse, and the lack of legal representation. Case management initiatives and special issues, including social science research and conflicting standards of practice, are also explored. Family Dispute Resolution provides a wide-ranging look at contemporary family dispute resolution processes and is essential reading for everyone interested in learning more about working with separating and divorcing families, including professionals, and law and graduate students." Buy it here:  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/family-dispute-resolution-9780197545904 https://www.amazon.com/Family-Dispute-Resolution-Handbook/dp/0197545904  

This episode involves two people with very distinguished careers. Bridget M. McCormack who now heads the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and Colin Rule, the founder of ODR.com just acquired by The AAA. Bridget has served in just about every role you can in the legal industry. She started her legal career in legal aid and as a public defender handling trials and appeals. She then moved to teaching law school, first at Yale and then Michigan. After her stint as an educator, she decided she wanted to help foster even more change and won a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court where she ultimately ascended to the position of Chief Justice. Fast forward to 2023 and she took the helm of the AAA. One of Bridget's biggest initiatives at AAA is bringing tech into the arbitration process and that is where Colin Rule comes in. He founded an online dispute resolution (ODR) company, about 15 years ago that ultimately became ODR.com which the AAA just announced it was acquiring. To say that Colin is an ODR OG is an understatement. He literally wrote the book on ODR way back in the early days of the internet. Ebay brought him on board in the early 2000s where he headed up the company's ODR function. In this episode Bridget and Colin discuss:  AAA's acquisition of odr.com: The strategic partnership between AAA and ODR.com to revolutionize dispute resolution. AI's transformative role in dispute resolution: How AAA is using AI internally and through external tools to improve efficiency and accessibility. The future of dispute resolution: A vision for a more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly system that leverages technology and data. Episode Credits Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

In this episode, Colin Rule (CEO of Mediate.com) speaks with Bridget McCormick, the CEO of the American Arbitration Association/International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA/ICDR), about the path that led her from being a public defender in NYC, to a law professor in Michigan, to the Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, and now CEO of AAA/ICDR. They discuss her work in mediation and dispute resolution, how Bridget has updated AAA/ICDR's strategy to embrace mediation and expand access to justice, and the role of technology in the future of the ADR field. Learn More: https://adr.org/ https://www.lawnext.com/2024/05/american-arbitration-association-acquires-odr-com-and-mediate-com-to-expand-online-dispute-resolution.html https://mediate.com/the-mediate-com-aaa-partnership/ About Bridget McCormick: Bridget Mary McCormack is President and CEO of the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution. She is also a Strategic Advisor to the Future of the Profession Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Until the end of 2022, McCormack was Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, a position her peers selected her for in January 2019 after she served for six years as a Justice. While on the Court, she championed innovation and the use of technology to improve access to justice. A graduate of New York University Law School, McCormack started her legal career in New York City. In 1996, she joined the Yale Law School faculty. She then joined the University of Michigan Law School faculty in 1998, where she taught criminal law, legal ethics, and numerous clinics. She was Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs from 2002 until 2012. McCormack was elected to The American Law Institute in 2013. The Attorney General of the United States appointed her to the National Commission on Forensic Science in 2014. In 2019, the Governor of Michigan named her Co-Chair of the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration. In 2020, she joined the American Bar Association's Council on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar and currently serves as Vice Chair. In 2021, the Governor of Michigan asked her to co-chair the Michigan Task Force on Forensic Science and to chair the Michigan Jail Reform Advisory Council. She also chaired the Michigan Judicial Council, the strategic planning body for the judicial branch. In 2021, McCormack was also appointed to serve nationally on The Council of State Governments Healthy States National Task Force and the ABA Center for Innovation's Governing Council. She was also named Chair of the ABA Board of Elections. McCormack is an Editor of the ABA's preeminent publication, Litigation Journal. She speaks and writes frequently about access to justice, innovation in the legal profession, and legal education.

In celebration of the publication of Mediate.com's 1000th newsletter, Mediate.com CEO Colin Rule sits down with Mediate.com co-founder John Helie to talk about the early days of the Mediate.com (and ConflictNet), the newsletter, top authors and editors, and how artificial intelligence and social networking has changed and will change the ADR field over the coming decades (discussion interrupted only briefly by a marauding pack of nearby goats).

Did you know that as a mediator you help parties exercise a superpower?  It's the superpower of everyday negotiation! Listen to this episode as Veronica talks with Lucia Kanter St. Amour--attorney, author, mediator, and VP of Board of UN Women San Francisco--about various topics in her #1 rated new release book on Amazon, For the Forces of Good: The Superpower of Everyday Negotiation.  Episode highlights include a discussion of the following: What is the distinction between impartiality and neutrality? Can one negotiate with bullies, and if so, how? How can a mediator handle two different stories from parties in mediation? What is interoception and why does it matter in mediation? About Lucia:   A member of the Neuroleadership Institute, Lucia has specific training in behavioral science, and how real people act in real conflict situations and decision-making. She is the Founder and Principal of her firm, Pactum Factum, which specializes in negotiation and dispute resolution; and a mediate.com Certified Online Mediator. A Vice President for UN Women, Lucia has also been practicing law since 1998. Ten years of her practice included regular clinical teaching positions in Mediation, and Negotiation at UC Hastings and UC Berkeley Law. She has also been a visiting lecturer at many prominent law and business universities in the U.S. and Europe; and served for a number of years as an annual Competition Judge and Mediator for the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France. Just this year, she launched her own podcast “The Superpower Of Everyday Negotiation.” Her book: For the Forces of Good: The Superpower of Everyday Negotiation (praised by none other than Robert Cialdini and our very own Colin Rule of mediate.com, among many others) is a #1 rated new release book on Amazon and releases to the public on October 1, 2022. Connect with Lucia via email Lucia's Book Lucia's Podcast Lucia's previous guest appearance on the Mediate.com Podcast

Our host Prof. Amy Schmitz welcomes you to the new Arbitration Conversation podcast, along with arbitrate.com CEO Colin Rule.

Ron and Ed first encountered Colin Rule's work when reading Richard and Daniel Susskind's book, The Future of the Professions (Episode 74) in which the online dispute resolution system used by eBay was touted as handling more cases per year than the entire US court system. In what promises to be a wide-ranging interview, Ron and Ed will explore this topic and more.

Ron and Ed first encountered Colin Rule's work when reading Richard and Daniel Susskind's book, The Future of the Professions (Episode 74) in which the online dispute resolution system used by eBay was touted as handling more cases per year than the entire US court system. In what promises to be a wide-ranging interview, Ron and Ed will explore this topic and more.

Ron and Ed first encountered Colin Rule's work when reading Richard and Daniel Susskind's book, The Future of the Professions (Episode 74) in which the online dispute resolution system used by eBay was touted as handling more cases per year than the entire US court system. In what promises to be a wide-ranging interview, Ron and Ed will explore this topic and more.

The words “Online Dispute Resolution” might evoke images of innovation from the Covid-19 era or perhaps sound like the newest service offered by Facebook or Google.  But in actuality, the practice dates back decades, to the early days of the internet.  As the name it implies, it is the means by which consumers—disputants can bring resolve their disputes without ever being in the same room. Colin Rule has been a pioneer in the development of this practice area and has seen it evolve from its inception to being a hallmark of the dispute resolution field.  He is also the guest, for this final episode of Season 3 of Tales of the Tribunal.  He shares perspective, insights and even a bit of forward-looking on the world of ODR.  It's a great conversation to end the season on and we hope you enjoy!   Feedback and comments welcome to: TalesOfTheTribunal@Gmail.com TIME STAMPS Opening Notes – :34 Interview Begins – 2:40 Personal Interest – 51:00 Closing Notes – 1:02:05   BOOKS/MEDIA: Books: Born to Run, By: Bruce Springsteen biography; The Executioners Song, By: Norman Mailer Music: Bruce Springsteen, Hootie & the Blowfish, Dixie Chicks   None of the views shared today or any episode of Tales of the Tribunal is presented as legal advice nor advice of any kind.  No compensation was provided to any person or party for their appearance on the show nor do any of the statements made represent any particular organization, legal position or view point.  All interviewees appear on an arms-length basis and their appearance should not be construed as any bias or preferred affiliation with the host or host's employer.  All rights reserved.

On Episode 1 of "Convergence" we welcome guest Colin Rule. "Convergence" is a podcast exploring topics at the intersection of dispute resolution and technology with thought-leaders and leading practitioners in the industry covering topics that include: the role technology has had in resolving disputes during the pandemic; ways that technological tools have historically been incorporated into dispute resolution; and creative use cases that technology presents for resolving disputes into the future. For more on this podcast and guest Colin Rule, visit: https://hnmcp.law.harvard.edu/hnmcp/podcast/convergence-ep-1

What led to the development of online dispute resolution systems (ODR)? How can ODR fit the different types of e-commerce businesses? How can the satisfaction of customers be measured? In which areas can further ODR develop? How to ensure ethics of ODR? Can ODR ensure access to justice?

Our first episode features Colin Rule, the Godfather of Dispute Resolution and the man behind the dispute resolution system of eBay and PayPal. In our first episode Colin takes us on a journey through the technological breakthroughs of his lifetime. Intertwined with his personal experience is a picture of online dispute resolution from its' roots in the late 1990s, his experiments with community courts in eBay and PayPal to his views of Kleros as a decentralized crowdsourcing dispute resolution mechanism.    

In this second installment, Colin Rule shares his insights on online dispute resolution’s (ODR’s) growth in the last decade, during the COVID19 pandemic, and future applications in collaboration with artificial intelligence, bitcoin, and smart contracts. Of note, Colin was awarded the inaugural 2020 Frank E.A. Sander Award by the ABA Center for Innovation in conjunction with this Section. Tune in to learn more about Colin and his work! Note: Since the episode’s recording, Colin joined Mediate.com as its President and CEO. We wish him well on his new adventure.

On this episode of The Learn to Mediate Online Podcast, Host Susan Guthrie speaks with her friend and colleague, Doug Witten, who is an experienced mediator and arbitrator who has handled more than 1,200 cases mainly in workplace, healthcare and contract matters, and who has been conducting online virtual proceedings for years.  Susan and Doug explore their personal insights into what works well in the online format and what sometimes goes wrong and why.  For so many mediators and dispute resolution professionals who have practices similar to Doug's, who work mainly in separate caucus, will find his experienced insights invaluable in preparing for their own online cases. There is a lot here for advocates too - find out what an experienced online mediator thinks is most important for a successful virtual mediation! Some Highlights from this Episode: How the pre-mediation conferences can be one of the most important parts of an online mediation process and why. How presentations from our ABA colleagues, David Larson and Noam Ebner about 10 years ago and a computer on Jeopardy got Doug interested in ODR. Why Doug says that COVID has done in a few months what innovators like Colin Rule and others have been trying to do for 20 years. What is the anectodal feedback about online mediation that Susan has received from the 15,000+ professionals who have taken her course? Because virtual mediation is so visual, what positive effect does this have on communication between participants? Why adaptability is so important to success with online mediation. What is one of the most important things to do BEFORE the mediation starts? The impact of multilingual participants in an online mediation. More About This Week's Special Guest: Douglas J. Witten, Esq., principal of Innovative ADR International LLC, is a mediator and arbitrator who has 24 years of legal experience and has mediated 1200+ cases since becoming a registered neutral in 2003. Doug offers dispute resolution services across a range of areas including healthcare, workplace injuries, and contract matters. He previously practiced healthcare and corporate law, and he also served Georgia's workers' compensation agency in management roles including Chief Mediator and Deputy Director of the ADR Division. Doug is a panel neutral for the American Health Lawyers Association Dispute Resolution Service and for BAY Mediation & Arbitration Services in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a member of ODR Latinoamérica and the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR), and he currently serves as co-chair of the American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section, Mediation Committee's Just Resolutions subcommittee, and on the Board of the Atlanta Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Section. You can reach out to Doug at dwitten@innovativeadr.com You can read Doug's fantastic ODR Blog here:  https://www.innovativeadr.com/blog/ ****************************************************************************************************** About Our Host:  Susan Guthrie, nationally recognized as one of the Top Family Law and Mediation Attorneys in the country, has been helping individuals and families navigate separation and divorce for 30 years. Susan provides online divorce mediation and legal coaching services to select clients around the world.As a leading dispute resolution professional, Susan is honored to serve on the Executive Council of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Dispute Resolution Section as the Membership Officer and to be a Co-Chair of the Mediation Committee. Susan also is one of the leading experts in online mediation in the country and trains other professionals in the practical and ethical considerations of conducting their mediations online through her business Learn to Mediate Online (www.learntomediateonline.com.)  Susan also offers additional training and webinars in: Social Media Marketing for Professionals  NOW AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM  DIY Website Basics DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAM COMING SOON! Building an Online Practice  Starting Your Own Podcast  A Family and Divorce Mediation Primer and MORE so be sure to check the site for dates and times and to REGISTER!  LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE www.learntomediateonline.com  Susan has been featured in and on media outlets such as CNBC, Market Watch, Forbes, Eye on Chicago, WGN, the ABA's Just Resolutions Magazine, Thrive Global, The Nook Online among others. She is licensed to practice law in the States of California and Connecticut as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States. Susan's other Podcasts: After a year and half of co-creating and co-hosting the award winning podcast, Breaking Free: A Modern Divorce Podcast which reached over 3 million listeners, Susan recently launched her fresh and inspiring new podcast, The Divorce and Beyond Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. which debuted on iTunes “Top Podcasts” List for self-help podcasts. Divorce & Beyond is focused on pulling back the curtain on the mysteries of the divorce process and bringing tips and resources to help people to thrive and shine in their new future beyond divorce.   Follow us on Instagram:  Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast and Learn to Mediate Online! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so that you don't miss an episode and if you enjoyed this episode, please give us a 5 Star Rating on iTunes and tell us what you liked in a REVIEW!  

In this second installment, Colin Rule shares his insights on online dispute resolution’s (ODR’s) growth in the last decade, during the COVID19 pandemic, and future applications in collaboration with artificial intelligence, bitcoin, and smart contracts. Of note, Colin was awarded the inaugural 2019 Frank E.A. Sander Award by the ABA Center for Innovation in conduction with this Section. Tune in to learn more about Colin and his work! Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/resolutionspod/colin-rule-a-conversation-about-online-dispute-resolution

With a new year starting, we wanted to take a moment to look into the future of family law.  Leh and Todd interview Colin Rule from Tyler Technologies.  He shared some amazing information about the work he is doing in the field of Online Dispute Resolution and discussed the future of its role in family law.  In addition to exploring what ODR is and its successes, he also explained Moore's law, how software will continue to contribute to the field of family law, and the real date that Skynet (a Terminator reference) will come online.   Jokes aside, it was a great show and ODR shows great promise to help not only those going through a divorce, but also those in the legal field.

In this episode, we talk with Colin Rule, VP of Online Dispute Resolution at Tyler Technologies. Colin discusses how ODR has grown over the years and is now used by courts with matters ranging from traffic citations to family and employment law cases. Colin will be presenting at the Dispute Resolution Spring Conference in Minneapolis on Friday April 12th at 1:15 pm. His session is titled ODR in the Courts: The Future is Now.

How does a problem turn into an opportunity? Early-stage founders only have the positive road ahead in mind. As the company grows however, problems and disputes are bound to grow in magnitude as well. If you do not have policies and guidelines in place and fail to resolve the problem satisfyingly with the customer, you are bound to lose a lot of them in the process. This episode is about seeing the positive, and the opportunities in relation to your ability to resolve disputes in and outside of the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Amy J. Schmitz, Professor of Law at the University of Missouri School of Law, discusses her recent book "The New Handshake: Online Dispute Resolution and the Future of Consumer Protection," which she co-authored with Colin Rule. Schmitz observes that many people now conduct most transactions online, and argues that consumer protection requires new tools, designed for an online environment. Her research shows that consumers primarily want to resolve disputes quickly and fairly, which some online dispute resolutions systems accomplish more more effectively than others. She proposes a centralized dispute resolution system that would both benefit consumers and even the playing field in e-commerce. Schmitz is on Twitter at @AmyJSchmitz1 and Rule is at @crule.Keywords: contracts, consumer protection, arbitration, dispute resolution, behavioral economics, law and society, discrimination, contract theory, remedies, e-contracts, sales, consumer contracts, e-Commerce, ADR, ODR, online dispute resolution, international law, UNCITRAL, international dispute resolution See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Perhaps in five to seven years, as Colin Rule sees it, half of U.S. citizens who file court cases will have access to online dispute resolution software walking them step by step through their matters, resolving up to 80 percent of cases. Rule, a nonlawyer mediator, is vice president for online dispute resolution at Tyler Technologies. In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels Podcast, Rule speaks with Angela Morris about the possibilities–and pitfalls–for this technology. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1.

Perhaps in five to seven years, as Colin Rule sees it, half of U.S. citizens who file court cases will have access to online dispute resolution software walking them step by step through their matters, resolving up to 80 percent of cases. Rule, a nonlawyer mediator, is vice president for online dispute resolution at Tyler Technologies. In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels Podcast, Rule speaks with Angela Morris about the possibilities–and pitfalls–for this technology. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1.

Not all legal disputes require the input of a lawyer. Some don't even need the input of a human. Online dispute resolution (ODR), or the use of technology to solve basic disputes, is considered by some to be an access to justice solution. In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk to Colin Rule how ODR works and how it has the potential to fill access to justice needs. They also discuss where ODR originally came from, the difference between between ODR and alternative dispute resolution, and how mobile access will expand the use of this technology. Colin Rule is vice president for online dispute resolution at Tyler Technologies. Tyler acquired Modria.com, an ODR provider Colin co-founded, in 2017. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, Scorpion, Answer1, and Clio.

Is online dispute resolution, or using technology to solve a claim or dispute, an access to justice solution? In this report from On The Road, hosts Adriana Linares and John Stewart talk to Colin Rule about the potential uses of online dispute resolution in the legal industry. They also discuss the role it could play in closing the access to justice gap and streamlining the court process. Colin Rule is vice president for Online Dispute Resolution at Tyler Technologies. Tyler acquired Modria.com, an ODR provider Colin co-founded, in 2017.

Colin Rule of PayPal and eBay speaks with Practical Ecommerce Publisher, Kerry Murdock, about online dispute resolution between buyers and merchants.

Join us as two died-in-the-wool technology enthusiasts explore communication technology and conflict in our everyday lives. We'll think together about some of the core principles that promote constructive conflict resolution across the interwebs and share examples of communication strategies that can either make or break online relationships. Communication tools or apps that may help smooth out the daily rough patches will be shared and discussed/debated. Bill Warters, Ph.D., is a faculty member at Wayne State University's Department of Communication where he teaches courses on social conflict, mediation, and communication technologies and conflict among others. He is webmaster of CREducation.org, a site supporting conflict resolution in educational settings and developer of a new iPad app for conflict resolution educators. Colin Rule is CEO of Modria.com, an online dispute resolution provider based in Silicon Valley. He was eBay and PayPal's first Director of Online Dispute Resolution from 2003 to 2011, and he's the author of Online Dispute Resolution for Business (Jossey-Bass, 2003). For More Information: Bill Warters, Ph.D. and Colin Rule    

A talk show on KZSU-FM, Stanford, 90.1 FM, hosted by Center for Internet & Society Resident Fellow David S. Levine. The show includes guests and focuses on the intersection of technology and society. How is our world impacted by the great technological changes taking place? Each week, a different sphere is explored. This week, David interviews eBay's Director of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and CIS Fellow Colin Rule about dispute resolution at eBay and the broader world of ODR.