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Just Court ADR

The blog of Resolution Systems Institute

Archive for the ‘Welcome’ Category

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!

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…)

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…)

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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