Duke Law mediation training program gets rave reviews and earns two years of CLE credit
40-hour program is approved by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission
Negotiation and dispute resolution skills are important for any lawyer.
“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 training is part of Duke Law’s Program on Negotiation and Dispute Resolution also known as PONDR. Cohorts 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 are providing sought-after training to become a mediator, and that we are also a resource for practicing attorneys to continue learning,” said Casey Thomson, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Education. Thomson teaches the program alongside long-time mediator, Bob Beason.
“This was an amazing program,” said Meredith Everhart, a city attorney in Wilmington, North Carolina. “I thought I knew what mediation was about after taking part in so many of them on behalf of my clients/employers, but Casey and Bob showed me a whole different side of mediation that I didn’t even know existed!”
The course has also been approved by the North Carolina State Bar for 24 hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit, which satisfies two years of CLE requirements.
“This program is incredible,” said Caleb Holloway, an attorney with Robinson Bradshaw. “I feel that I am a changed person and I haven’t even started mediating yet.”
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 among them.
The next session is Wednesday, October 15 through Sunday, October 19, 2025 on Duke’s campus. More information can be found here.