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Just Court ADR

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RSI Welcomes the Honorable Nancy Katz to its Board of Directors

Just Court ADR, August 12th, 2019

RSI is proud to introduce the Honorable Nancy Katz (ret.) to our Board of Directors! Since 2017, Judge Katz has been working with JAMS as a mediator and an arbitrator, having served for 17 years as an Associate Judge on the domestic relations bench in the Circuit Court of Cook County (Chicago), Illinois. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Katz served as Assistant General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and as Project Director and Staff Attorney for Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago.

Judge Katz is active as an educator in family law issues for judges, attorneys and the public. As a Judge on a domestic relations calendar for 17 years, Judge Katz has substantial judicial and settlement experience in all kinds of family law cases. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers recognized Judge Katz in 2013 with its prestigious Samuel Berger award recognizing her “high(est) standards of integrity, courtesy, knowledge of family law and the extraordinary ability to solve human problems.” Judge Katz received her undergraduate degree from Northeastern Illinois University and her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology.

RSI is proud to have Judge Katz join our Board and we hope you will join us in welcoming her to our organization!

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Welcome Alyson Carrel to RSI’s Board of Directors!

Nicole Wilmet, February 26th, 2019

RSI is proud to introduce Alyson Carrel, Clinical Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Center on Negotiation and Mediation and Assistant Dean of Law and Technology Initiatives onto our Board of Directors. Ms. Carrel is an active leader, presenter, and trainer in dispute resolution. She currently teaches Negotiation, Mediation Process and Advocacy, Dispute Resolution and a clinical course in Mediation Advocacy.

Since 1993, she has been exploring the process of mediation and how it can benefit under-represented populations and enhance access to justice. Prior to her appointment at Northwestern Law, Ms. Carrel was the Training Director at the Center for Conflict Resolution, one of the nation’s largest and longest-running community mediation centers, where she directed and lectured in the 40-hour mediation skills training and mediated court-referred cases.

RSI is proud to have Ms. Carrel join our Board and we hope you will join us in welcoming her to our organization!

Posted in People & Events, Welcome | 1 Comment »

Fresh Eyes and Bruce Springsteen

Just Court ADR, October 15th, 2015

I am in my third month now serving as Director of Foreclosure Mediation for RSI. When I visit our foreclosure mediation programs in Rockford, Geneva and Waukegan now, I get to greet people with “great to see you again” instead of “nice to meet you.” There is a natural sense of relief in knowing which exit to take off of the I-90 to get to Rockford or which side of the train tracks to board to get to Chicago from Waukegan. I remain surprised, however, at how quickly our brains adjust to and anticipate routines and processes after we’ve done something even once before.

This feeling of settling in has clear value for those of us involved in mediation, but it poses risks as well. As experts in our respective roles, we need to remember that not all parties to the process have experienced before what they are now going through. Whether we are mediators delivering our opening statements or program staff people explaining the mediation process, it is important to remember that at least some members of our audience are likely hearing the words we’re saying for the first time. (more…)

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Posted in Foreclosure Mediation, People & Events, Welcome | 2 Comments »

Getting to Know You

Just Court ADR, August 19th, 2015

Prior to becoming the new Resource Center Director for Resolution Systems Institute last month, I was informed (warned?) that this role was one that required versatility. As with most undertakings in life, there was no way to truly comprehend what that disclaimer meant until I had plunged full speed into this role. Just over a month in, my CV can now include drafting press releases to help promote RSI’s Attorney General-funded Illinois Foreclosure Mediation Programs, proposing long-term strategies for the growth of our CourtADR.org Resource Center and researching avenues of development and fundraising to continue RSI’s efforts in administering court ADR programs. Had you tasked Franz Kafka to write my job description, he would have resigned in protest, claiming, “It’s too abstract!” (more…)

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Posted in People & Events, Welcome | 1 Comment »

Introducing RSI’s Foreclosure Mediation Research Intern

Just Court ADR, August 29th, 2014

MJ ScheerPlease join me in welcoming MJ Scheer to the RSI team. MJ is a second-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law who is pursuing a career in appellate civil litigation, mediation, and arbitration. She will be with us for the fall semester, updating RSI’s national foreclosure mediation resources.

MJ has a passion for mediation and a history of studying foreclosure mediation and court-connected mediation programs. Her undergraduate thesis at Northwestern University was a comparison of foreclosure mediation programs in Oregon and Maine and an analysis of the symbolic nature of the state laws and statutes that gave them life. After graduation, MJ received a Master’s in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University, where she focused her studies and expertise on the intersection of ADR and the law. Additionally, MJ has been certified by the state of Virginia to practice mediation in small claims court in General District Court in the state of Virginia through Northern Virginia Mediation Service (NVMS). At Loyola, MJ is a member of Volume 46 of the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal as a staff member, as well as Loyola’s 2014-2015 Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

Here at RSI, MJ will research the changes and updates to foreclosure mediation programs throughout the country. If you have seen RSI’s Foreclosure Dispute Resolution Program Models State-by-State or Foreclosure Mediation Program Funding documents, we are excited to report that updates are around the corner! Also, if you work in the field of foreclosure mediation, we’d love to hear from you, so we can ensure that we are reporting the most relevant and up-to-date information about the work that you are doing. MJ can be reached at intern[at]aboutrsi[dot]org.

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Posted in Foreclosure Mediation, People & Events, Research, Uncategorized, Welcome | 1 Comment »

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