Student Lessons on Distance Mediation

Picture of person hanging up a telephone“Could we try and mediate over the phone?” I was a bit surprised by the response from the attorney when I called to let him know that the Small Claims Mediation Clinic’s courthouse mediation options had been curtailed by the Coronavirus. The Clinic, which was started by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and retired MULS Professor Janine Geske, has been in operation since 1998. A typical Clinic day revolves around same day referrals for mediation cases from Court Commissioners in Room 400 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Cases are mediated then and there. In addition to the typical same-day referrals, this semester the Clinic received a number of referrals from judges dealing with civil cases. This particular case, a dispute between relatives, seemed tailor-made for mediation. I hesitated for just a second before saying yes, we would try mediating the case by phone.

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More Book Spine Poetry to Celebrate National Poetry Month

A couple weeks ago, I posted about creating book spine poetry to celebrate National Poetry Month. I asked for your creations and some of you got busy and created poetry. Here are the book spine poems of faculty, staff, and alumni.

Paul Anderson, Director of the Sports Law Program and the National Sports Law Institute, insists all of the books he used to create his poem are his, except one. Do you know which one?stack of books

Student Services Librarian & Adjunct Professor of Law Deborah Darin submitted this poem:

stack of books

Molly Madonia (L’16), associate counsel at Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. (producers of Summerfest) called this poem “Feminism”:

Corinthia Van Orsdol (L’07), who works with Marquette University Advancement, submitted this poem:

An avid reader Christine Wilczynski-Vogel, Associate Dean for External Relations, Events, and Facilities, submitted this poem:

Just because National Poetry Month is ending, doesn’t mean you need to stop creating. After all, we’re still stuck inside, staring at all those books. . . .

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Might the Pandemic (Finally) Change the Leadership Stereotype?

Does having a woman in charge of a country impact how that country is dealing with the pandemic?   In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, more than one commentator has noticed that it does.  From Forbes to The Atlantic in the U.S., to think tanks around the world, “feminist leadership matters.”

Forbes Magazine wrote just last week that women leaders are saving lives.  In the limited data that is available, researchers have already noted that Jacinda Arderncountries led by women are, thus far, doing better in overall testing rates and in lower mortality rates.  Why might this be so?  One reason could well be how women make decisions, or as I and others have studied, how women are less susceptible to common decision errors including overconfidence, are less likely to take risks, and are more conscientious in their decision making approach.  Women are more likely to consult others before deciding and less likely to go it alone. (I review this and other negotiation skills that women are more likely to have in What’s Sex Got to Do With It?)

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