Bridging Perspectives: Building Skills, Communities and Connection — 2026 Program in Review
By This year’s Dispute Resolution Section program brought together mediators and attorneys from across North Carolina for a full day of practical learning, fellowship, and dialogue.
Early arrivals enjoyed a networking reception at Barcelona Wine Bar in downtown Raleigh hosted by the Section Council and Executive Committee. These events are wonderful opportunities to reconnect with old friends, to meet mentors in the profession and to share our experiences of helping our clients navigate conflict. The conversations are often heartfelt and transformative. If you’ve never been, you really should come sometime.
Our day of learning began with NCDRC Executive Director Tara Kozlowski and Commissioners David Niblock and Robin Stinson. Not only were we reminded of our professional and ethical obligations as certified mediators in a variety of not-so-hypothetical situations, but also, David shared his musical talents by performing an original song.
Our keynote speakers, Valoree Hanson and Elizabeth Hambourger from the Dispute Settlement Center in Carrboro, introduced us to restorative practices. Restorative justice focuses on harms to individuals and communities. Its goal is to repair that harm by focusing on the needs of people who have been harmed and providing an opportunity for people who have caused harm to take accountability. Elizabeth and Val explained how our nervous systems work when faced with a perceived threat and how restorative practices can help perpetrators move past the common threat responses of avoidance, withdrawal, blame, and shame. Those practices set the stage for the participants to listen deeply to each other and to develop a shared narrative. The outcome of those conversations might include apology, changed behavior, and other forms of repair.
Val and Elizabeth also illustrated how restorative circles can be used in a broader context to communicate values, to build teams and communities, and to brainstorm solutions to vexing problems.
Frank Laney then shared with us the lessons gleaned from two scientific studies of negotiator and mediator behavior. In the first study, English researchers compared the behavior of skilled and average negotiators with respect to planning, exploring options, seeking common ground and understanding the other side. From that study, attorneys can identify specific techniques and behaviors that are productive and counterproductive to achieving settlement.
In the second study, data was collected from court-ordered mediation programs in Maryland using court records, surveys and coding of participants’ and mediators’ behaviors. The study evaluated the short and long-term effects of various mediator techniques, including: reflecting, asking participants to suggest and evaluate solutions, offering legal advice or analysis, advocating for one participant’s ideas, and holding private caucuses.
Frank also shared an analytical four-question framework that mediators can use to help the parties determine their best alternatives to a negotiated agreement.
Chris Osborn led a panel discussion (Dr. Eric Morse, Heath Gilbert, Liz Venum, and Kelly Durden Posey) on neurodiversity in our profession. The panel discussed the symptoms and gifts of neurodivergence, including ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and specific learning disabilities. There was an interesting conversation about how neurodivergence might affect the functioning and behaviors of the parties, counsel or the mediator during a settlement conference and how the mediator might make appropriate accommodations. The panelists also shared their own personal experiences with diagnoses, medical treatment and self-management.
Last, but not least, George Doyle led a question-and-answer session with experienced mediators Asa Bell, Jackie Clare, Sherman Criner and Frank Laney about the real-world challenges and ethical issues that mediators face and the application of the relevant program rules, Standards of Professional Conduct for Mediators and Advisory Opinions issued by the NCDRC. George was the recipient of this year’s Peace Award. We were privileged to have him as our moderator for the second hour of our program that qualified for Continuing Mediator Education credit.
Thank you to the program planners, speakers, sponsor and all attendees who participated live and virtually! If you were unable to attend, be on the lookout for the on-demand program soon. If you have interest in participating in the work of the Dispute Resolution Section, feel free to reach out to me or any of the Section Council members.