Mid-Atlantic Collaborative Law Training. The Baltimore training is a two-day, Friday/Saturday, Jan 30 and 31, Basic participatory workshop with an emphasis on "nut and bolts."  Contact Sherri Goren Slovin; Cincinnati , OH   45202 at T:  (513)241-9844 or Susan Land, 410-828-6075, susanjland@hotmail.com.

Collaborative Law Training Workshop, “Developing Conceptual Frameworks and Critical Skills.”  February 19-20, 2004 . Fort Lauderdale, FL.   Presented by the Collaborative Family Lawyers Institute.  Registration fee $295.00.   For registration, call (954) 527-2700 or e-mail RSRLAWPA@aol.com. For more information go to http://www.collaborativefamlaw.com/

Level I Collaborative Divorce Training: February 19-21, 2004 in Phoenix, AZ and November 12-14, 2004 in Scottsdale, AZ. Collaborative Divorce presents a three-day training consisting of an overview of the roles of each discipline, demonstration of the process, intra-disciplinary training of each separate discipline (attorney, financial and mental health), ethical guidelines for the process, and inter-disciplinary team work on actual cases.  For more information or to register go to http://www.collaborativedivorce.com/new_trainings.html

Software to support collaborative law: www.advocatesnetwork.org

2 Law and Spirituality & Contemplative Practices

The Law Program of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society explores ways of helping lawyers, judges, law professors and students reconnect with their deepest values and intentions, through meditation, yoga, and other contemplative and spiritual practices. Their website contains listings of events and groups throughout the United States.  For more information go to www.contemplativemind.org/programs/law or contact Heidi Norton at (413) 582-0071 or heidi@contemplativemind.org

Res Ipsa in Vallejo, CA offers meditation retreats for law professionals.  The group also meets once a month for group meditation and discussion. For more information, contact Mary Mocine at (707) 649-2480 or marymo@att.net, or go to http://www.contemplativemind.org/programs/law/map/index.html.

The Initiative on Mindfulness in Law and Dispute Resolution is a project of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, devoted to exploring the potential benefits and risks of mindfulness to members of the legal and dispute resolution professions.  For more information go to http://www.law.missouri.edu/csdr/mindfulness.htm

3 Holistic Law

 The International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers just held their 2003 conference in New Hampshire and are making plans for their next conference, with a theme of Community, in Austin , Texas next fall. Stay tuned for details. www.iahl.org

 4 Coaching

Kim Wright has five full-time openings in her coaching practice who want to design their lives and law practices (rather than being controlled by them).  See her web site at www.consciouscoach.com for more information. The cost of the coaching packages is sliding scale based upon your hourly rate.

HAVING A LIFE: Creating work-life balance in the law. May 13-14, 2004 . University of Pennsylvania Law School , Philadelphia , PA. Hosted by ThirdPath Institute. With participation from: the University of Pennsylvania Law School, the Wharton School , and the University of Pennsylvania Women ’s Studies Program. Email: lawconference@thirdpath.org or call  215-747-8790. The conference will be geared towards lawyers, firm partners and managers, law students, legal scholars and legal career specialists.  Themes to be addressed include:

• Creating the Life You Want: finding new solutions for your life
• Transforming the Firm: making change at the organizational level
• Moving Beyond Law: applying what we know to other professional careers
• Finding Voice: discovering the unique challenges men face in creating balanced lives

The Legal Coaches Special Interest Group meets by telephone on the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific. Co-hosts Phyllis Sisenwine and Stewart Hirsch. Contact Warren Simonoff, ACG, Legal SIG Liaison at: WarrenSimonoff@Qwest.net.

 5 Transformative Mediation

The North American Institute for Conflict Resolution provides training that builds inner, personal tools and resources for conflict management.  The workshop “Bringing Your Heart to Work” is scheduled for March 6 & 7, 2004 in Vancouver B.C. This program teaches the essence of applied heart/work -- bringing forward more of who you are to whatever is at hand.  The two-day workshop “Building Client Relationships from the Inside Out – Enriching the Practice of Law” is also available to interested groups.  For more information or to subscribe to the newsletter Of Seeds and Sowers, go to http://www.crtraining.org/ or contact Barbara Ashley Phillips at (780) 465-1721 or programs@crtraining.org.  

The Center for Mediation in Law offers training in the “Understanding Based Model of Mediation.”  The overarching goal of this approach to mediation is to resolve conflict through understanding. Deeper understanding by the parties of their own and each other's perspectives, concerns, and priorities enables them to find creative and mutually rewarding solutions to their conflict.  The Center offers the following upcoming programs:

·         December 3-7, 2003 : Mediation Intensive Training, Westchester County , NY

·         March 17-21, 2004 : Mediation Intensive Training, Marin County , CA

·         April 28- May 2, 2004 : Mediation Intensive Training, Westchester County , NY

·         May 13-16: Advanced Mediation Training, San Francisco , CA

·         Monthly Commercial Peer Group Meetings, New York

·         Monthly Family Peer Group Meetings, New York

     MCLE credit available for many programs. The Center also provides mediation training programs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Israel.  For more information go to http://www.mediationinlaw.org/homepage.html

6 Humanizing Legal Education 

The Institute for Law School Teaching invites proposals for conference workshops to be presented at "Active Teaching and Learning," the annual summer conference to be held July 9-10, 2004 .  The deadline for submission is January 12, 2004 .  For information, please go to http://law.gonzaga.edu/ilst/04Conf/2004conf.htm

7 Restorative Justice

5^th Annual Conference of the Restorative Justice Consortium, “Restorative Justice. The Future.” November 28, 2003 , Hamilton House, Mableden Place, London.  This Conference is being organized in conjunction with the Home Office as part of their consultation process on the Government's Restorative Justice Strategy.  For more information go to http://www.restorativejustice.org.uk/pdf/confappli.pdf or contact the Restorative Justice Consortium at info@restorativejustice.org.uk

The Second International Conference on Restorative Justice, “Restorative Justice and Approaches: From Inspiration to Results."  March 24-26, 2004, Winchester Guildhall, Hampshire , U.K. The conference, organized by the Winchester Restorative Justice Group, aims to provide an opportunity for participants at all levels of knowledge to learn how to apply and implement restorative principles to achieve real change in attitudes and behavior.  For more information go to http://www.neilstewartassociates.com/li165/index.html or contact Rachel Garner to request a conference brochure at rachel.gardner@neilstewartassociates.co.uk.  A pre-conference training in restorative conference facilitation will be held March 22-24, 2004.  For information about the pre-conference training go to http://www.realjustice.org/Pages/trainings.html - Anchor-Facilitating-23240

Interaction 2004, “Come Back to the Core: A Celebration of Conflict Resolution in Canada.”  June 2-5, 2004, Kitchner, Ontario, Canada.  This conference will center around three main themes: 1) Celebrating the triumphs and understanding the struggles of 30 years of conflict resolution and restorative justice in Canada; 2) Highlighting well-researched, well-examined and “best” practices that can be duplicated; and 3) Reaching out to the public, demonstrating fresh approaches to expanding conflict resolution beyond the practitioner, with a special emphasis on the Arts.  For more information go to http://www.crnetwork.ca/conference or contact Conflict Resolution Network Canada at crnetwork@crnetwork.ca.

The International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) will hold the second in a series of three conferences dedicated to the theme of "Building a Global Alliance for Restorative Practices and Family Empowerment," August 5-7, 2004, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. To view the Call for Presenters and to submit a proposal, go to: http://www.iirp.org/bc04.

Advance Notice of International Conference on Restorative Justice, “New Frontiers in Restorative Justice: Advancing Theory and Practice.” December 2-5, 2004, Massey University Albany, Auckland, New Zealand.  Presented by the Centre for Justice and Peace Development.  This conference will examine the new challenges the restorative justice movement faces as it moves into its second generation.  For more information go to http://justpeace.massey.ac.nz/. To express interest in attending and/or to offer a presentation email newfrontiers@massey.ac.nz or write to Dr. Warwick Tie, Centre for Justice and Peace Development, School of Social and Cultural Studies, Massey University, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore MSC, Auckland, New Zealand.  Closing date for the submission of abstracts is May 31, 2004 .   

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/2002/08/18/build/wyoming/05-redemption.inc     has a news article about a restorative justice story.

8  Creative Problem Solving & Preventive Law

Creative Problem Solving Conference, “Preventing and Solving Legal Problems Creatively.”  March 4-6, 2004.  California Western School of Law in San Diego , California announces its second international conference exploring problem solving and preventive approaches to law, lawyering, and judging.  For more information contact Karen Miller at kmiller@cwsl.edu or go to the conference website at http://www.cwsl.edu/conference2004.

 9 Therapeutic Jurisprudence

Western Society of Criminology 31^st Annual Conference, “Criminology and Practice: Expanding the Horizon of Collaboration." February 20-21, 2004 in Long Beach , CA.   The call for papers and other information about the conference is at: http://www.sonoma.edu/cja/wsc/wsc2004.html or contact Sue Cote, WSC Program Committee Chair, California State University, Sacramento at (916) 278-6437 or scote@csus.edu

The Center for Mental Health Services & Criminal Justice Research Presents its First Biennial Conference, “Reentry to Recovery: People with Mental Illness Coming Home from Prison or Jail.”  April 14-16, 2004 .  Sheraton Society Hill Hotel, Philadelphia , PA.   The goal of the conference is to bring together policymakers, practitioners, academics, advocates, and consumers to explore issues facing persons with mental illness returning to the community from correctional facilities.  For more information go to http://www.cmhs-cjr.rutgers.edu/conference.html.

Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies International Conference on Forgiveness, “Forgiveness and Its Dimensions.” May 23-26, 2004 in Jerusalem, Israel.  This three-day conference will look at the many dimensions of forgiveness in the Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish traditions.  For more information go to www.come.to/tantur

The Greek Conference 2004, “Professional Responsibilities: Where to Now . . . Ethics, Etiquette and Culture (Perspectives of Professional Lives).”  May 23-29, 2004 at Rhythmna Beach Hotel and Resort, Crete, Greece.  This conference features keynote speaker David B. Wexler, who will lead a sub-stream to address relevant issues of therapeutic jurisprudence, in conjunction with Professor Bruce Winick.  For further information go to http://www.greekconference.com.au/intro.htm or contact the conference coordinator at administration@greekconference.com.au.

The International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services will be holding their 4th Annual Conference, “Mental Health Services at the Interface of Mental Disorder, Addiction and Crime.”   June 6-9, 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden.  The deadline for abstract submissions is January 15, 2004 .  For more information go to http://www.iafmhs.org/iafmhs.asp.

Conference Announcement and Call For Proposals:  The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) is holding it's first National Conference on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and the Dependency Court , July 14 and 15, 2004 at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD. The goal of the conference is to encourage all three systems to work together to address the problems for alcohol and drug involved child welfare cases. Proposals are due by December 5, 2003 at 5:00 p.m. PST .  For more information and to submit a workshop proposal, go to: http://www.cffutures.com/National_Center/SavetheDate/SavetheDate.pdf or contact NCSACW at (714) 505-3525 or ncsacw@samhsa.gov.

Submissions for TJ issue of Contemporary Issues in Law: Bruce J. Winick and David Wexler will be guest editing a special TJ issue of Contemporary Issues in Law, and previously announced that persons interested in submitting should send their manuscript by November 20, 2003.  Professors Winick and Wexler have decided that since some papers have already been prepared and submitted, they will have a “rolling” acceptance process, which may mean that the issue will fill and close before November 30.  Interested persons should therefore submit their papers ASAP.   For further information, contact Bruce J. Winick at (305) 284-3031or bwinick@law.miami.edu

Therapeutic Justice Articles: Volume XXX, No. 3 of the Fordham Urban Law Journal, the March 2003 issue, contains a section on "Problem Solving Courts and Therapeutic Jurisprudence" with the following articles:

·         Theorizing Community Justice Through Community Courts, Jeffrey Fagan & Victoria Malkin, Page 897

·         Due Process and Problem Solving Courts, Eric Lane , Page 955

·         Specialized Courts: Not a Cure-All, Phylis Skloot Bamberger, Page 1091

New List-serve: The International Association of Drug Treatment Courts (IADTC) has started a list-serve. For information or to subscribe go to http://www.nadcp.org/iadtc/.

New Therapeutic Justice Resource: Dr. Carrie Petrucci of the Department of Social Work at California State University at Long Beach announces a new website she is building that will gather all the empirical research on TJ.  The website is: http://www.tjcollaborative.org.  Dr. Petrucci writes:

“My aim in doing this is fairly simple: by sharing how we are researching/documenting TJ on a prospective basis (rather than waiting for the published article that comes out several years after the multi-year study), we can accomplish more research across more locations in a shorter time period.  This is not to say that anyone "has to" do this - it is simply an opportunity to share what you are doing, if you are comfortable with that, so that the website can serve as a clearinghouse of current and available TJ research.

”Ultimately, if certain instruments were found to be useful and were replicated in several sites, we could also form research collaboratives around analyzing similar datasets from multiple sites.

”I know that for some, this notion of sharing one's research approach early on may fly in the face of the competitive spirit, and/or the human desire to be "first", so clearly this will not appeal to all. On the flip side, I think we have an extraordinary opportunity to build a knowledge base on a national and international basis in the midst of very difficult funding times.

The website is in the VERY early stages -- I have many existing studies to add, among other things.  If you would like your past or current work posted, you are welcome to email me personally at cpetrucc@csulb.edu and I'll get things up as quickly as I can.  Any suggestions you have are welcome.” 

10 Integrating Law, Politics, and Spirituality

New College of California Announces the Project for Integrating Spirituality, Law, and Politics, a nationwide network of lawyers, law professors, law students, and others interested in the progressive transformation of law. The Project seeks develop and articulate a new vision of law’s relationship to social transformation, and seeks to bring together leaders and activists in such spiritual/political/humanistic legal movements as Restorative Justice, Understanding-based Mediation, Collaborative Law, and Humanizing Legal Education under a common theoretical and practical vision that can unify their respective efforts.  For information go to http://www.spiritlawpolitics.org/.

The Tenth Annual Rebellious Lawyering Conference.  February 20-22, 2004 at  Yale University, New Haven , CT.   The Rebellious Lawyering Conference is an annual, student-run conference that brings together practitioners, law students, and community activists/advocates from around the country to discuss innovative, progressive approaches to law and social change.    For information, e-mail georgia.albert@yale.edu.  Details will also be posted at http://islandia.law.yale.edu/reblaw/about.htm.

11 Community Lawyering 

Community Lawyering in Massachusetts: Neighborhood Legal Services is a free provider of civil legal assistance for low income residents of Essex County , Massachusetts, and is a pioneer in the field of community lawyering.  In their community lawyering project, they assist residents of low income communities speak for themselves, effect change on their own terms and build the social, economic and human services organizations and institutions they need to build healthy neighborhoods and speak to governmental and institutional power. For information about the Community Lawyering project and its recent activities, go to http://www.neighborhoodlaw.org/page/122224&cat_id=1349 

Law Students and Community Lawyering: For a profile on the Community Lawyering Program at Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, NH see “A Passion for Social Justice” at http://www.piercelaw.edu/news/pubs/Ad00Vol4No1/adv4no1p4.pdf. For an article on how law students at Brigham Young University law school are participating in a course on community lawyering, see http://magazine.byu.edu/bym/1999/99fall/pages/on_campus14.shtml 

12  Lawyers as Peacemakers

The International Bill of Rights Project has been working on a document to legally enforce human rights throughout the world.  You can view and make comments on the draft of the International Bill of Rights at http://www.ibor.org/.

12th annual International Conference on Conflict Resolution (ICR): "Sharing Tools for Personal/Global Harmony" May 9-19, 2004 . St. Petersburg , Russia . CALL  FOR  PROPOSALS  http://ahpweb.org/cbi/icr.html

2004 Association of Conflict Resolution Conference  “Valuing Peace in the 21^st Century: Expanding the Art and Practice of Conflict Resolution.”  September 29 – October 2, 2004 at the Sacramento Convention Center in Sacramento, California . The conference will address a wide variety of themes, including emerging issues facing practitioners in the 21st century, innovations in conflict resolution training, and opportunities for conflict resolution practice in the 21st century.  The Conference Planning Committee invites proposals reflecting best practices and leading edge theory and practice.   All submittals must be made via the web application. No faxed or email copies will be accepted. All web submissions are due no later than 10 a.m. EST, December 15, 2003 .  For more information go to http://www.acrnet.org/conferences/ac04/index.htm

Bradley L. Winch in now collecting "chicken soup" style stories that deal with creating peace in our own lives and on the planet.  Story guidelines, in seven languages, are available at: www.peacemaker.st.. In the alternative, e-mail Bradley at: blwjalmar@att.net and he will send a MSWord document with the guidelines.

13 CLE & Teleclasses

Transforming Practices  

Date:                Monday, December 1, 2003

Time:               1pm – 2pm Eastern (10am Pacific, 12pm Central)

Bridge line:      716-566-6016, pin code 948963

Topic:              “Transforming Practices”

Speaker:          Steven Keeva

Join us! The monthly Transforming Practices teleclass sponsored by the Renaissance Lawyer Society and Texas Law Reporter occurs on the first Monday of each month. The call is free, except for the cost of your long distance charges. Subscribers to the Texas Law Reporter can also get free Texas Continuing Legal Education credit for attendance (1 hour, including .5 ethics). Other jurisdictions may approve the teleclass for continuing education credit on individual application. The monthly teleconference is open to all lawyers, and coaches who coach lawyers. If you are not a Texas Law Reporter subscriber or do not practice law in Texas , you are still welcome to join the call. The purpose of the call is to provide education about and to explore issues and new developments respecting transformation of the practice of law. Our goal is to enhance the effectiveness of lawyers while creating meaning, satisfaction and sanity in the legal life. Mark your calendar now to join us each first Monday at the bridge number listed above!

 Registering for Texas CLE: To be eligible for Texas CLE credit for the call, Texas Law Reporter subscribers should register by sending a fax to the Texas Law Reporter at (713) 942-7850. Include your name, bar number, email address and date of the Transforming Practices call for which you are registering. During the Transforming Practices call we will announce a code that you must subsequently fax to the Texas Law Reporter as proof of attendance to receive CLE credit. If you are not yet a Texas Law Reporter subscriber, you can obtain a one-year subscription for $36.00 or a two-year subscription for $65.00 at www.TexasLawReporter.com. You also have the option of providing credit card and billing address information in your Transforming Practices registration fax, along with a statement authorizing Texas Law Reporter to charge your credit card for the subscription plan you choose.

 Hosts: The Transforming Practices monthly call is hosted by Debra Bruce ( Houston , TX ) and RLS board vice president, Neil Olson ( San Francisco , CA ) who have each practiced law for almost 20 years, and are professionally trained coaches specializing in coaching lawyers. For more information, feel free to contact Debra at debra@DebraBruce.com or Neil at neilol@pacbell.net or visit websites at www.DebraBruce.com, www.RenaissanceLawyer.com, and www.TexasLawReporter.com.

  Institute of Conflict Management Ltd. ADR Training & Risk Management Consulting: Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Six Steps to Reshaping the Attorney Client Relationship for Optimal Conflict Management, a live teleseminar with RLS Founding member Arnie Herz.  December 3, 2003 , $79. http://www.adradvantage.com/training/conflict_mng.htm

 
14 Renaissance Lawyer Society announcements & Community Connections

 The Renaissance Lawyer Society Board of Directors is pleased to announce that, after considerable work by our treasurer and board members, we obtained IRS 501c3 status in September. [Ya’ll send your tax deductible contributions so we can hire someone to type this newsletter! Click here to contribute by Paypal now.]

 Kim Wright will be a luncheon guest at the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law on December 5. Area lawyers are invited to join us. For more information, contact Mike Kitchen at cocre8tor@aol.com.  

 A speaker’s bureau is being created for Renaissance Lawyer Society. If interested, email jkimwright@renaissancelawyer.com.

15 Retreats

Ariadne's Thread Retreats, led by Renaissance Lawyer founding member Jennifer Tull, provide retreats for women going through divorce and other relationship transitions.  Ariadne’s Thread also offers a series of retreats for lawyers, counselors and other health care professionals who know that healing in their own lives will support them in more effectively healing others.  For more information go to www.aspaforthesoul.com

16 Other Gatherings and Events

Presidio Dialogue, “Conscious Law: Possibility or Oxymoron?” February 24, 2004 , 7 p.m. at The Golden Gate Club in the Presidio, San Francisco, California .  Join an open dialogue about the legal system and ways it can be transformed to serve justice, function healthily, and be a powerful force for transformation.  Speakers include Stewart Levine, Neil Olson and our very own J. Kim Wright. To register or for more information go to http://www.thepresidiodialogues.org/cal/022404.html   or contact The Presidio Dialogues at