Intentional Conversations about Restorative Justice, Mediation and the Practice of Law

Abstract:     
In November 2003 the Dispute Resolution Institute at Hamline University School of Law hosted the third, biennial symposium on Advanced Issues in Dispute Resolution entitled “International Conversations about Restorative Justice, Mediation and the Practice of Law.” The purpose of the symposium series is to bring together a range of scholars and professionals to engage in purposeful conversation around critical issues in the field of conflict studies and dispute resolution. The choice of the November 2003 Symposium theme was the result of a number of factors. First, restorative justice programs are springing up across the country and restorative justice approaches are increasingly representing the cutting edge of the dispute resolution field both nationally and internationally. Second, there is a growing concern across professional disciplines with the notion of social healing and the desire, particularly, to explore how lawyers and dispute resolution practitioners can learn to regard themselves as social healers. Third, there is a disquieting sense among some mediators and dispute resolution academics that the mediation field has lost some footing and that, perhaps, the interaction between those interested in mediation and restorative justice practitioners might re-kindle something of the original vision behind the field of mediation. Finally, it was hoped that the symposium would give all three fields the opportunity to influence one another toward a greater possibility for social healing. This article introduces the symposium themes, summarizes symposium scholarship, and contains an edited transcript of key portions of the symposium’s “intentional” conversation.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 100

Keywords: restorative justice, mediation, social healing, dispute resolution, alternative dispute resolution, the practice of law, ADR

Accepted Paper Series