Duke Law launches mediation training program for practitioners
40-hour program is approved by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission
Each year cases are resolved in North Carolina Superior Court that never involve a jury or a judge. Instead, both parties come to an agreement through the help of a mediator.
The North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission certifies all mediators appointed in the Mediated Settlement Conference (MSC) Program. Among the requirements is at least 40 hours of training, which only a few programs in the state offer. Duke Law is now among them.
“Mediation is such an important service. Good mediators not only help individuals reach outcomes that are more practical and satisfying than continued litigation, they also help to save resources in our courts,” said Casey Thomson, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Education. “I’m delighted that we will be able to help people acquire the skills needed to become successful mediators.”
The training is part of Duke Law’s Program on Negotiation and Dispute Resolution also known as PONDR.
“We are fortunate at Duke Law to have such deep faculty expertise in negotiation and dispute resolution,” Dean Kerry Abrams said. “Starting a practitioner training made sense in helping advance our mission of sharing knowledge to support the legal profession in providing the highest quality services possible.”
The trainings will be offered in March and May of 2025. The cohorts are expected to include professionals pursuing official mediator certification in North Carolina and practicing attorneys who want to continue to develop their dispute resolution skills.
“We are thrilled that we will not only be providing sought-after training to become a mediator, but we will also be a resource for practicing attorneys to continue learning,” Thomson said.
The course has also been approved by the North Carolina Bar Association for 24 hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.
More information can be found here.