Capital University Announces Certificate Programs in Mediation & Dispute Resolution

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In conjunction with Conflict Management Week in Ohio, May 8-14, Capital University Law School announces new professional certificate programs in mediation and dispute resolution, with training classes open to the public.
These new certificates are an expansion of Capital’s highly touted Program on Dispute Resolution. For more than 34 years, the Law School has been active in the dispute resolution movement and has earned an international reputation for its leadership and innovative training in this area.

Jack Guttenberg, dean of Capital University Law School, said the Mediation and Dispute Resolution Certificate Program will enable businesses and individuals to benefit directly from education and training in this growing field, particularly with the current trend in civil litigation using negotiation to achieve settlement.

Government agencies, businesses and law firms will support their employees in this training as a way of increasing staff ability to handle resolution of internal conflicts and the conflicts of organizations’ clients, resulting in significant savings of time and money for disputants. “Conflict management in the judicial system does not have to mean costly, protracted court battles," said Thomas J. Moyer, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. “Alternative dispute resolution is an efficient, cost-effective way to settle conflicts and allows all the parties involved to take a more active role in the resolution of issues."

“Dispute resolution is of great interest to the insurance industry as a whole," said Chad Jester, vice president of corporate public involvement for Nationwide and president of the Nationwide Foundation. "Capital University has positioned itself as a leader in the emerging field of dispute resolution by launching this program to train the next generation of attorneys and intermediaries to seek more economical alternatives to litigation.”

Columbus Bar Association president Kimberly Shumate said, “The enhancement represented by the certificate programs and the availability of courses in downtown Columbus will allow a real connection between the legal profession and the business community in professional dispute resolution. The Columbus Bar is committed to the development of mediation resources to assist Central Ohio's business leaders, including the funding of scholarships for government and non-profit organizations that may not have sufficient training funds.”

With major funding from the Nationwide Foundation and support from the Columbus Bar Association and Foundation, the program will consist of academic
courses, skills training and clinical experiences. Individuals will be able to pursue one of the two certificate programs or may choose only those components that best serve their current needs. The program includes training in mediation, arbitration, negotiation or divorce mediation, as well as such diverse courses as Labor Arbitration, Health Care Dispute Resolution, Systems Design, and Business Negotiations.

The Capital University Law School Mediation and Dispute Resolution Certificate Program has been designed to accommodate the schedules of working professionals, as well as students from outside Central Ohio, through the development of intensive courses, distance learning and off-site clinical opportunities.

Academic courses for the certificate programs are offered through Capital’s Law School, and training classes are provided by the law school’s Center for Dispute Resolution. For more information about the certificate programs, contact Capital University’s Graduate Law Programs office at (614) 236-6885 or 236-6402.

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NOTE:

For more information during the week of May 9, contact Denise Russell, director of Public Relations at Capital University, (614) 236-6196, and she will connect you with an expert from Capital’s Center for Dispute Resolution.

May 16 or after, contact Jim Hatch, director of Capital University’s Graduate Law Programs, at (614) 236-6402 for details about the new certificate programs.