Clinical Law Programs
Alternative Dispute Resolution Externship
The Alternative Dispute Resolution [ADR] extern program places students as dispute resolvers or as assistants in dispute resolution organizations dealing with mediation, arbitration, facilitation, and summary jury trials.
While working with their supervising attorney, judge or ADR facilitator, students have the opportunity to gain valuable practical skills in a real world setting. The ADR Extern program supplements and complements knowledge and experience students gain in Law Practice Clinic and in other law school courses. In the extern program, students have the opportunity, under close supervision, to confront actual legal problems and to analyze and explore the various roles that lawyers, judges or legal institutions play in the expanding area of alternative dispute resolution.
When placed, students have the opportunity to interview and work with clients, to negotiate with lawyers and others, and generally to perform and learn the tasks and skills necessary to help a particular client or situation resolve legal problems.
The ADR supervisor with whom a student is placed, is expected to provide students with training in skills necessary to mediation, arbitration, facilitation and summary jury trials. Students are expected to master a significant body of substantive and procedural law relative to the legal problems that they confront. Whenever ethical issues arise, the ADR supervisor is expected to explore these issues in depth with the student.
ADR extern placements are most successful when students are given as much professional responsibility for decision-making and interaction with the clients as possible and with supervision that is active and close, but not so directive as to interfere with the student's capacity to exercise professional responsibility. The ADR supervisor should be involved in every aspect of the student's work. The ADR supervisor should be prepared to provide constructive critiques, encourage growth and development, and, if necessary, protect clients and the public from mistakes that can be made by student lawyers. Supervision comes before, during, and after the student works on a problem. For example, if a case is to be resolved or mediated by the student, the student presents a negotiation plan to their ADR supervisor before the negotiation, which is followed by a post-negotiation review and critique.
