Every year the InterNational Academy of Dispute Resolution sponsors an international law school mediation tournament. Every other year, Loyola University Chicago School of Law co-sponsors the tournament. This year the competition is larger than ever with 60 teams coming from all over the world, including teams from Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, U.K., Canada and Germany.
The tournament provides law students with the opportunity to learn about various techniques used in mediation, as well as the opportunity to practice their mediation and mediation advocacy skills in friendly competition with other students from around the world.
Teams of three students go through three preliminary rounds taking a turn serving as mediator, advocate or client in each round. Mediators serve in pairs as co-mediators, meaning that co-mediators are never from the same school. This encourages students to recognize that mediation is about working together to reach a solution, rather than competing at every turn. In addition to their listening skills, mediators are judged on their ability to work together with their co-mediator, to help advocates and clients see the strengths and weaknesses of their cases, to stay positive and professional, and to help guide the parties to a resolution of the dispute that brought them to mediation.
Advocates and clients are judged on their ability to present their cases, to articulate their strengths and weaknesses, and to work with the mediators toward a solution while also meeting their needs and interests. The sixteen top teams in each category proceed to a semi-final round and the four top teams proceed to a final round. Awards are given for individual as well as team performances.
With the heavy focus of traditional legal education on litigation, the INADR mediation competition allows students to see a different side of law practice, and to learn about problem-solving in a cross-cultural setting.
The tournament provides law students with the opportunity to learn about various techniques used in mediation, as well as the opportunity to practice their mediation and mediation advocacy skills in friendly competition with other students from around the world.
Teams of three students go through three preliminary rounds taking a turn serving as mediator, advocate or client in each round. Mediators serve in pairs as co-mediators, meaning that co-mediators are never from the same school. This encourages students to recognize that mediation is about working together to reach a solution, rather than competing at every turn. In addition to their listening skills, mediators are judged on their ability to work together with their co-mediator, to help advocates and clients see the strengths and weaknesses of their cases, to stay positive and professional, and to help guide the parties to a resolution of the dispute that brought them to mediation.
Advocates and clients are judged on their ability to present their cases, to articulate their strengths and weaknesses, and to work with the mediators toward a solution while also meeting their needs and interests. The sixteen top teams in each category proceed to a semi-final round and the four top teams proceed to a final round. Awards are given for individual as well as team performances.
With the heavy focus of traditional legal education on litigation, the INADR mediation competition allows students to see a different side of law practice, and to learn about problem-solving in a cross-cultural setting.