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ALTERNATIVES TO THE COURT SYSTEM: PROMISE AND PROBLEMS OF ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION




Bill Leatherberry, J.D. - Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University



Friday March 27, 2009
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Crawford Hall - Room 9
Inamori Center
Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues,

Can’t We All Just Get Along? Apparently not, and so life is rife with disputes. Courts of law exist not just to enforce the State’s rules on the citizens, but to resolve disputes among citizens. It is a fundamental purpose of government, going back well before the story of King Solomon and two harlots who both claimed to be the mother of the same child. Legal processes, however, are frequently criticized as being cumbersome, costing too much, and at best making conflict more, rather than less, adversarial. So there is a continual search for ways to resolve disputes without going to court. These methods, generally referred to as ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) take many forms. From some perspectives, there is a continuum of “Appropriate Dispute Resolution” processes, ranging from informal, unmediated negotiation, through mediation and forms of arbitration, to summary jury trials.

The U.S. is often called a highly litigious society, but any search on the web will show wide interest in alternatives. How well do they work? When do they help resolve disputes that would otherwise disturb people beyond the parties? Can they produce what was demanded of Solomon: justice? Or should they be judged on other grounds? Join us as Bill Leatherberry, a nationally-known expert in the field of ADR, leads a discussion of how we can resolve disputes short of litigation – or not.

As usual, we will gather in Room 9 of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence, on the lower level of Crawford Hall, for free cookies, beverages, and brown bag lunch.

Best regards,
Joe White


About Our Guest


Before joining the faculty in 1973, Bill Leatherberry spent three years as a Legal Aid attorney and two years as a legislative assistant to Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes. He served as associate dean for academic affairs from 1992 to 2000. He teaches Contracts, Dispute Resolution, Insurance, Sales, and Secured Transactions. Professor Leatherberry has been active in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution and helped to design the ADR program for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He frequently serves as a neutral in mediation or arbitration processes, both private and court-annexed. In addition, he conducts ADR training programs both for neutrals and advocates.


Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:


April 3: Highlights (or Lowlights) of the Financial Meltdown. Peter Ritchken, Kenneth Walter Haber Professor and Chair of the CWRU Department of Banking and Finance.

April 10: Exonerating the Innocent: The Impact of DNA Evidence. Paul Gianelli, Weatherhead Professor of Law, CWRU.

April 17: CWRU Students Report on the Election in El Salvador.

April 24: The Future of the Newspaper Industry. Lauren Rich Fine, Research Director for Content Next and formerly the lead analyst for publishing, information, advertising and online industries for Merrill Lynch.

The Friday Lunch discussions are held on the lower (ground) level of Crawford Hall. Visitors with mobility issues may find it easiest to take advantage of special arrangements we have made. On most Fridays, a few parking spaces in the V.I.P. lot in between Crawford Hall and Amasa Stone Chapel are held for participants in the lunch discussion. 

Visitors then can avoid walking up the hill to the first floor of Crawford by entering the building on the ground level, through the garage area under the building. The further door on the left in that garage will be left unlocked during the period before the Friday lunch. On occasion, parking will be unavailable because of other university events.

For more information about these and other Center for Policy Studies programs, please see http://policy.case.edu.

March 23, 2009

A weekly newsletter published by the Center for Policy Studies, Case Western Reserve University. If you would like to not receive this weekly e-mail or you would like to submit items for inclusion please send a notice to: pubpol@case.edu.

Check out the university’s community outreach activities

Upcoming Events


About Man and God and Law: Bob Dylan and Religion

Stephen Arnoff, Executive Director at the 14th Street Y in New York City, Wednesday March 25, 2009, 4:30 p.m., Room 309, Clark Hall, Case Western Reserve University

As rock and roll's greatest poet and one of the most important artists in any medium over the past half century, Bob Dylan wrestles with religion at the heart of his work. From iconoclast to Zionist to fundamentalist and back, explore Dylan's encounter with God, the Bible, Israel, religious identity, faith, and morality. In a discussion illustrated by selected clips of music, video, and text, scholar of popular and Jewish culture Stephen Hazan Arnoff explains how Dylan's pursuit spiritual truth embodies a modern quest of many great artists and intellectuals to make sense of ancient traditions and folkways when religious institutions and practice fail them. A self-defined religious outlaw, learn how Dylan makes sense of his own creed: "To live outside the Law you must be honest."



STATE-BUILDING IN IRAQ: U.S. Advisers & the Iraqi Budget

James Savage, Ph.D., Department of Politics, University of Virginia

Monday, April 6, 2009 4:30 p.m., Clark Hall Room 206, 11130 Bellflower Road, Cleveland. Free and open to the public. This program is made possible by the generosity of Ms. Eloise Briskin and is sponsored by the Center for Policy Studies


The U.S. government's efforts to help build a new Iraqi state have been widely, and in many cases justly, criticized. Yet a governing apparatus is, slowly, developing. One core function of governments is making and implementing budgets. Professor Savage, one of the world's experts on budgeting both in the United States and abroad, has been studying how the U.S. government has sought to aid the Iraqi Ministry of Finance in that process. His findings should shed new light on both the process of American involvement in Iraq, and perhaps the prospects for the future Iraqi state.


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About the Friday Lunch Newsletter


Submissions for the Friday Lunch Newsletter may be e-mailed to pubpol@case.edu. All submissions must be received at least a week prior to inclusion in the weekly e-mail and will be reviewed for timeliness and relevance to the Center for Policy Studies audience.

E-mail pubpol@case.edu.

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