The classwork, too, is a departure from tradition. Dispute resolution courses are much more interactive than the average large, Paper Chase -esque lecture class, in which students read and analyze appellate court decisions and one final exam determines their grade. In a negotiation course at Pepperdine, for example, students are assigned a different case file to read and act out each week. In a recent class, pairs of students negotiated a settlement for a driver who had been hit by a school van. Next time, he vows, he'll be less trusting.
Some legal educators question the intellectual rigor of classes that revolve around simulations.
But courses that focus on skills, in general, have become de rigueur in the past decade. And professors point out that theory is explored, then reinforced through papers and exams. For those serious about pursuing a career in ADR, a number of institutions now offer students a chance to serve as third party neutrals. At George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., consumer mediation clinic participants mediate disputes between businesses and unhappy customers. Students handled about 100 mediations last year alone, from problems with home-improvement contractors to disagreements over the cost of automobile repair.