Conflict is a fact of life in many law schools. Deans, faculty members, and students often are involved in either minor or more serious disagreements over vision, policies, curriculum, tenure, allocation of resources, and personnel issues that often have serious consequences. While some conflicts result in destructive outcomes and escalating personal, financial or organizational costs, this does not have to be the case. Tensions, disagreements, or more serious confrontations between people in law schools can be turned into opportunities for productive change through the application of effective collaborative problem-solving and dispute resolution approaches and procedures.
Deans are often at the center of law school conflicts.
They are frequently called upon to act as visionaries, arbiters, negotiators, conciliators or intermediaries who bring disputing individuals or groups together and provide a process to amicably and productively address and resolve differences. How well deans and senior administrators perform these conflict resolution roles and functions can be the determining factor as to whether a conflict will be successfully addressed or result in damage to the individuals, groups or institution involved. This workshop has been specially designed for law school deans to prepare them to productively engage in and resolve costly organizational conflicts. Deans will learn conflict analysis and strategy design procedures, and effective meeting facilitation and dispute mediation skills. Multiple experiential opportunities will be provided to utilize and practice procedures and skills, and to apply them to real-life law school conflicts.