The Renaissance Lawyer Society Cable March, 2005

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail to kbginsberg@renaissancelawyer.com
with “Subscribe Cable” or "Unsubscribe Cable" in the subject line.
[You may be screened through a spam-checker. Sorry for that inconvenience but otherwise, that address attracts 500+ spams a day.]

2005 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL: MAIL DUES OF $100 to: Renaissance Lawyer Society P.O. Box 2784 Chapel Hill, NC 27515

2005 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL! MAIL DUES OF $100 to: Renaissance Lawyer Society P.O. Box 2784 Chapel Hill, NC 27515

RLS President Maureen Holland is profiled in a recent article on in the Christian Science Monitor, “Lawyers Who Heal.” The article discusses Maureen’s transformation from a ‘pit bull’ litigator to a holistic lawyer, and the growing movement nationwide toward holistic lawyering. To read the article, go to: http://csmonitor.com/2004/0721/p17s01-lire.html.

RLS Advisor Susan Daicoff teaches Comprehensive Law Course: Professor Daicoff, the “Mother of the Comprehensive Law Movement,” will be teaching a one credit course at Hamline University on July 26-27. This is a one-credit course for lawyers and law students over two days. It is half lecture, half skills/experiential learning, and will cover all vectors of the movement: collaborative law, creative problem solving, the problem-solving court movement, holistic justice, preventive law, procedural justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, transformative mediation, and restorative justice. More info at www.hamline.edu/law/adr.

The Renaissance Lawyer Society is seeking additional Board members. If you are interested, or if you know someone who would make a great addition to the Board, please contact the President Maureen T. Holland at mtholland@renaissancelawyer.com.

RLS is also seeking those persons who are interested and would be willing to help organize periodic regional and/or local meetings for RLS. RLS recognizes that in person support and discussions with others in your area over coffee, lunch, dinner, wine or cheese (or the like) are important to the continued growth and transformation of individuals and the legal system. These meetings could be monthly or quarterly, depending on the interest in your area. The RLS Board is willing to provide support for you in terms of structure, personal assistance, and contact info for your region, if available, for those local and/or regional leaders. Please contact the President Maureen T. Holland at mtholland@renaissancelawyer.com for additional information. "

March 15, 2005 Deadline: IACP Annual Forum Call for Presenters! “The Coming of Age of Collaborative Practice,” the 6^th Annual Networking and Education Forum for Collaborative Professionals will be held October 28-30^th in Atlanta Georgia. The IACP Annual Forum is a unique educational, networking, and professional development gathering for collaborative practitioners. We expect over 500 attendees, including legal, mental health, and financial professionals. We are seeking proposals that:

IACP Seeks Executive Director: IACP was established six years ago to bring together active professionals from the fields of law, mental health and financial planning, working in association or by referral, to help divorcing couples to find collaborative solutions for themselves and their children. The organization responded to a significant unmet need, resulting in phenomenal growth in a short period of time, with professional membership nearly doubling each year, now exceeding 1100 members, expected to exceed 2000 by the end of 2005. These members represent a very large international community of interdisciplinary practitioners in family law, and, increasingly, also in civil law. Radical growth in membership and services requires the appointment of a full-time professional executive officer with strong leadership and administrative skills, able to guide the rapid development of the organization and its programs in a dynamic international environment. Screening of candidates will commence after March 15, 2005. We urge you to bring this announcement to the attention of anyone you believe qualified for this position. Applications and nominations, with resumes, or inquiries, should be submitted by e-mail to: International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, ATTN: Confidential to EXECUTIVE SEARCH, paula@gneo.net. For full job description, go here.

Collaborative Practice Manual Available: "Collaborative Practice Materials” by Catherine Conner and Margaret Anderson is a comprehensive practice manual for collaborative practitioners. This 257 page manual includes forms useful for both attorney and interdisciplinary teams, and covers each step in the collaborative process. The book can be ordered by contacting Catherine Conner at (707) 523-0480 or cconner@clrg.com. The cost is $50 plus $5 for shipping and handling. Discounts are available for group orders. To see a detailed table of contents, e-mail cconner@clrg.com.

CLI-TX Approved Protocols of Practice for Collaborative Family Lawyers: The Collaborative Law Institute of Texas, by a unanimous vote of its Trustees, formally approved Protocols of Practice for Collaborative Family Lawyers on January 21, 2005. The protocols are the result of nearly two years of work. Last year the protocols were provisionally adopted to allow a year of experience and comment. The formal protocols are posted at the Collaborative Practice Listserv site for review and possible consideration as a basis for your own collaborative law protocols. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollabLaw/files/Standards%20of%20Practice/. (You need to be a member of the listserv to view this document.) The protocols have done much to answer lawyers' questions about the process. Protocols of Practice for financial professionals and mental health professionals are being drafted and should be ready for provisional
approval later this spring. Your comments and thoughts welcomed. For more information, or to give feedback, contact Harry Tindall athtindall@tindallfoster.com.

Washington Collaborative Law (Seattle, Bellevue): hosted its kick off event on Wednesday January 26, 2005. Judge Bobbe Bridge presented to approximately 65 attendees at the impressive meeting room at One Union Square. Washington collaborative law reports a membership at around 60 to 70 people, approximately 40 attorneys and 20 to 30 non-attorney professionals. They have revamped their website which is now located at www.washcl.org. The employment section of WASHCL will hold its kick-off meeting around the
time of the April 29 and 30th 13th Annual ADR Conference.

The Collaborative Law committee of the Washington State Bar Association is continuing to meet 1-2 times per month, and is charged with promoting all of the emerging dispute resolution methods, including Collaborative Law (with a big "C"). The committee members are gathering resources from around the country and locally on resources available, looking at another symposium, broadening committee discussions on email to include any persons experienced in the area and interested in helping out, and discussing all manner of techniques and strategies for increasing use of emerging ADR methods. This may also possibly include a webcast video program explaining and promoting various methods, as well as events designed to bring more practitioners within the community of people committed to newer ADR. If you have ideas to contribute, just drop an email to Paul Lehto the chair at paul@lehtopenfield.com

13th Annual NW Dispute Resolution Conference: Two collaborative law segments will be presented at the 13th Annual NW Dispute Resolution Conference to be held on Friday and Saturday April 29 and 30th, 2005. Marilyn Endriss (Seattle employment attorney) and Ken Dehn (Seattle business attorney and chair of the solo section of the King County Bar) will be presenting "Practicing Collaborative Law" at 3:00 Friday and I will be following at 4:30 on Friday with "Litigator to Collaborative: Changing from the Inside Out." Since collaborative law rests on the language principles developed by mediators, this would be an excellent conference for attorneys new to collaborative law. For more info about the conference go to: http://www.mediate.com/nwadr/

Civil Collaborative Law Basic Training: The Texas Collaborative Law Council will hold its first civil collaborative basic training sessions March 17 and 18, 2005 at the Dallas Bar Association's Belo Mansion in Dallas. Each session is 6 hours. The second session will compliment the first, but if you can only make it to one (either the first or the second), please do come. Watch the list serve and web site for more details. This training is open to anyone from anywhere. More information at the TCLC website at: http://www.collaborativelaw.us/. http://www.collaborativelaw.us/events.html

The Texas Collaborative Law Council has Launched it’s Website at http://www.collaborativelaw.us/: The TCLC The Texas Collaborative Law Council, Inc. (TCLC), was formed in August of 2004 as a non-profit corporation by civil attorneys to promote the use of the collaborative process for resolving civil disputes, train lawyers in the use of the process, and to educate the public as to the benefits of the process. TCLC will open for membership very soon. More information about how to apply will be posted on the website. TCLC seeks to admit to membership experienced and trained professionals who will promote collaborative law through excellence in the practice of it.

Civil Collaborative Law Statute Introduced in Texas: HB 205, Texas's civil version of the existing Texas family law collaborative statute, was filed on Dec. 9, 2004. If you would like to see the text of that bill, go to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/ and put HB 205 in the space just after the listing of the 79th session 2005 in the QUICK BILL STATUS section. Click "Go". Then, when the info on that bill comes up, click on "text" which is just above the bill's designation on that page. If you wish to monitor the bill, click on "Bill Status" on the same page that had the "text" prompt. You can receive emails advising you if there are changes as it goes along when the legislature resumes its business in January.

Collaborative Law Trainings Scheduled: The IACP maintains a calendar of collaborative law trainings. Currently, trainings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

Save the Date! 42^nd Annual Conference of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), to be held in Seattle, Washington, May 18 - 21, 2005. The IACP is working with the AFCC on this conference. The conference theme is Solving the Family Court Puzzle: Integrating Research, Policy and Practice. The conference will feature a wide range of interdisciplinary programming on family law, collaborative practice, mediation, research, negotiation, parenting coordination and much more! More information will be posted at: http://www.afccnet.org/docs/conferences.htm.

Save the Date! IACP Core Collaborative Practice Skills Institute, to be held in Dallas, Texas, June 3-4, 2005. The emphasis of this two-day institute will be an exchange of practical information and insights among core collaborative professions, designed to teach members of the various professions things they can take away to make themselves more effective in their collaborative work regardless of the model of collaboration they find themselves in. Details concerning the exact venue for this exciting event are being worked out at this time, and will be posted soon at http://www.collaborativepractice.com/.

Monthly Conference Call on Civil/Commercial Applications of Collaborative Law: held the second Wednesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern / 1:00 p.m. Pacific. For more information or to rsvp, contact Jeanne Fahey at jmfahey@mindspring.com.

New Listserv for Civil Applications of Collaborative Law: A group of lawyers and business people have been meeting monthly by a Renaissance Lawyer Society sponsored bridgeline to discuss how to expand the use of collaborative law into civil and business disputes. We have now decided to also launch a listserv dedicated to issue. Many local practice groups have been springing up, with the most active groups being in Massachusetts (http://www.massclc.org/) and Texas (http://www.collaborativelaw.us/). To join the listserv go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/civilcollaborative/. Or, for more information about the listserv, monthly bridgeline call or civil applications of collaborative law, contact Jeanne Fahey at jmfahey@mindspring.com.

New Collaborative Law Book: “Collaborative Practice: Deepening the Dialogue” by Nancy Cameron has just been published. As stated by the publisher, “In a thoughtful, humourous, and concise manner, this author scrutinizes the landscape of traditional litigation-based family practice, and provides guidance on how to rethink personal and professional values, how to develop the new skills required in collaborative practice, and how to set up an interdisciplinary collaborative family practice." Learn how to "deepen the collaborative dialogue" by exploring some of the complex issues and challenges faced by collaborative practitioners. As well as in-depth discussion of the role of each team member, this comprehensive book also contains checklists, sample retainer letters, participation agreements, and an extensive suggested reading list for a collaborative library.” The book can be ordered on the publisher’s website at : www.cle.bc.ca/cle.

A Collaborative Law Data Gathering Project is being organized by Carl Michael Rossi, Moderator of the Collaborative Law Group listserv. He explains, "I'm not doing specific research here so I have no illusions that this will satisfy the needs of any professional research project. But I think it embraces all the basic questions we keep getting asked: "Does it work? How well? Isn't it more expensive with all these other professionals?' My intention is to gather the data and have it available for any of you who request it. I'll likely be doing the gathering in Excel." To join this listserv, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollabLaw/ or for more information on this project or to provide information on a case you've worked on, e-mail lhdragon@ameritech.net.

Early Bird Deadline March 15th! The Harvard Program on Negotiation Insight Initiative (HNII) Summer Workshop Series will be held June 20-24, 2005 at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA. HNII is a vehicle for PON to engage the cutting edge conversation between the fields of negotiation and conflict management on the one hand and those of mindfulness and the great wisdom traditions on the other. This year, HNII will be offering three concurrent workshops:

Lawyer Dharma Group in the San Francisco Bay Area led by Mary Mocine, a Zen Buddhist priest who practiced law for 18 years. The group meets once a month on Sunday mornings, alternating between Berkeley and San Francisco. The group meditates for a half hour, then members discuss an aspect of law practice as it relates to meditation and deeper values. A potluck brunch follows. A teaching donation will be requested. For more information go to http://www.contemplativemind.org/programs/law/events.html or contact Mary Mocine at marymo@att.net or 707-649-2480.

Lawyers' retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA April 14-17, 2005, Led by Norman Fischer, Mary Mocine, and James Baraz. Meditation can provide a practical tool for busy legal professionals to quiet the mind, enhance clarity and awareness, and restore a more peaceful balance to their lives. This is an intimate retreat (limit 30 people) in which we will do significant amounts of meditation practice as well as engage in focused small group and large group discussions about the interaction between the practice of law and the practice of meditation. There will be significant periods of silence. Cost $315-$225, sliding scale. Fee is for room and board. Teaching and staffing of the retreats is by donation made at the end of the retreat. For more information go to http://www.contemplativemind.org/programs/law/events.html or contact Doug Chermak at d_chermak@yahoo.com.

Law Dharma: Meditation and Meditative Movement at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center May 15-20, 2005. Led by Mary Mocine. Tassajara Zen Mountain Center is set in a canyon in the beautiful and rugged Ventana Wilderness area due east of Big Sur. The purpose of the retreat is to give members of the legal profession an opportunity to unwind and explore contemplative practices and how they support the practice of law. Meditation and yoga can help to bring awareness to our lives as lawyers. When we pay attention gently, without judgment, to our whole experience, we can respond from a grounded place, not a reactive place. Contemplative practices can bring us back into harmony. In this workshop we will explore meditation, yoga and other meditative practices that help us remain grounded in our actual experience, which includes the body and the mind. There will be time for individual meetings with the leader as well as plenty of time for enjoying Tassajara and simply relaxing. 10 hours MCLE credit: 3 law practice management, 2 ethics, 2 litigation, 2 elimination of bias and 1 substance abuse. Cost: $300.00 (in 2004) plus room and board. Some scholarship assistance may be available. For more information go to http://www.contemplativemind.org/programs/law/events.html or contact Mary Mocine at marymo@att.net or 707-649-2480. You can find more information about Tassajara and see photographs by visiting the San Francisco Zen Center website at www.sfzc.org and clicking on Tassajara.

The Initiative on Mindfulness in Law and Dispute Resolution at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law maintains a calendar of Events on Mindfulness in Law and Dispute Resolution at http://www.law.missouri.edu/csdr/mindfulness.htm. Some of the events currently scheduled are:

§ May 10, 2005, Salt Lake City, UT: Mindfulness and Conflict Resolution, plenary presentation at Utah Council on Conflict Resolution 7th Annual Conference on ADR. Led by Leonard Riskin. See http://www.uccr.net/.

§ June 16-18, 2005, Malibu, CA: Mindfulness in Law and Dispute Resolution taught by Miriam (Marguerite) Millhauser and Leonard Riskin, Pepperdine University School of Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. See http://law.pepperdine.edu/straus/.

The New Prospects for Transforming Law and Society, founded by Cheryl Conner, MA, JD, offers workshops and retreats for small groups of lawyers, law students and judges, where participants can reflect on their "ways of being" and explore how to bring courage, inspiration and love to the law. Over the last 8 years, Cheryl has facilitated dialogue among law students, lawyers and judges about integrating spiritual, ethical and holistic perspectives within law and legal education. A recent illness has caused Cheryl to investigate further about mind, body, and habits of being with guidance from Native American healers, Tibetan Buddhist teachers, holistic healers, scientists, and spiritual friends. These expanded understandings will profoundly benefit the participants in these programs. For more information, contact Cheryl Conner at 617-332-0327 or e-mail prospectsunltd@aol.com.

5 Coaching

The Legal Coaches Special Interest Group meets by telephone on the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. Eastern. Our Legal SIG's "Mastermind" format has taken off!! The SIG meetings are creative, provocative and well-attended by an energized group of coaches within the legal community. The attendees are discovering solutions to challenges that we all face in building a thriving practice. JOIN us for what shall be a very spirited and uplifting hour! For more information contact jkimwright@earthlink.nett.

Join the Legal SIG Listserve: The Legal SIG urges all current members to join our Yahoo groups listserve to:

6 Transformative Mediation

Early Bird Deadline March 15th! The Harvard Program on Negotiation Insight Initiative (HNII) Summer Workshop Series will be held June 20-24, 2005 at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA. HNII is a vehicle for PON to engage the cutting edge conversation between the fields of negotiation and conflict management on the one hand and those of mindfulness and the great wisdom traditions on the other. This year, HNII will be offering three concurrent workshops:

Cultivating Balance: Mindfulness in the Law and Dispute Resolution with Leonard Riskin and Melissa Blacker.
Neutrality and Conflict Resolution: Professional Distance and Passionate Engagement with Jack Himmelstein and Norman Fischer
Beyond Yes: Deeper Wisdom and the Art of Negotiation with Erica Ariel Fox and Mark Gafni.

Each course is limited to the first 40 people who register. For more information on the courses or to register, go to: https://www.pon.harvard.edu/research/hnii/june05_workshops.php3.

Transformative Mediation Trainings by The Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation: The Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation at Hofstra University School of Law is the premier center of expertise on transformative mediation. The following trainings are scheduled to be presented by Institute Fellows and Associates:

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. MCLE credit available for many programs. Upcoming trainings are scheduled for March 16-20, 2005, May 12-15, 2005 and November 16-20, 2005 in Marin County, California and June 1 - 5, 2005 in Westchester County, New York. Jack Himmelstein will also be teaching at the Harvard Negotiation Insight Initiative Learning Forum June 20-24, 2005 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Center also provides mediation training programs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Israel. For more information go to http://www.mediationinlaw.org/homepage.html.

Mediate.com maintains a calendar of mediation trainings and conferences throughout the United States. For more information go to http://mediate.com/calendar/

7 Humanizing Legal Education

Professor Krieger’s booklet “The Hidden Sources of Law School Stress - Avoiding the Mistakes that Create Unhappy and Unprofessional Lawyers" is now available. This booklet is a comprehensive resource for law students, summarizing much of the research that Professor Krieger and others have done on the psychological and physiological distress many law students experience, and providing resources for dealing with the stressors of law school. The booklet is available for review on the Humanizing Legal Education website, at http://www.law.fsu.edu/academic_programs/humanizing_lawschool.php. It is also available for purchase by teachers, students, or law schools that wish to incorporate it in their orientation or other programs. Contact Professor Krieger for more details at lkrieger@law.fsu.edu.

Save the Date! The newly formed Executive Board for the Humanizing Legal Education movement announces that they will be presenting a workshop at the 2006 AALS Annual Meeting, "A Search for Balance in the Whirlwind of Law School." The workshop will be on Thursday, January 5, in New Orleans, from 8:45 until 5:30, with lunch on our own. One of the concurrent panels will feature 3 presentations from folks who have been working on this issue. Proposals will be solicited shortly and will be announced on the Humanizing Legal Ed listserv. For more information on how to join that listserv, go to http://www.law.fsu.edu/academic_programs/humanizing_lawschool.php.

New Study on Law Students and Humanizing Legal Education: "Does Legal Education Have Undermining Effects on Law Students? Evaluating Changes in Motivation, Values, and Well Being," by K. Sheldon and L. Krieger, published in 22 Behav. Sci. Law 1 (2004).

Executive Board Formed for the Humanizing Legal Education Movement: Professor Larry Krieger announces the formation of an Executive Board for the Humanizing Legal Education Movement. The board members are Susan Daicoff, Justine Dunlap/Kathy Hessler, Howard Fink, Larry Krieger, Tracy McGaugh, Herb Ramy/Michael Schwartz, Josh Rosenberg, Bob Schuwerk, Nancy Soonpa, and Bruce Winick. As described on the Humanizing Legal Education website, “Humanizing legal education is an initiative shared by legal educators seeking to maximize the overall health, well being, and career satisfaction of law students and lawyers. We find cause for concern in our observations of law students and in the research on, and reports of, problems in the legal profession—including dissatisfaction, depression, excessive work, substance abuse, and eroding professionalism. We are interested in the ways legal education is conducted, the impact those choices may have on the attitudes, values, health, and well being of law students, and the possible relationship between each of those matters and the problems experienced by our graduates in the profession. Through scholarship, web-based discussion, empirical research, and conferences, we hope to inform the development of innovative teaching methods when appropriate." This website can be viewed at: http://www.law.fsu.edu/academic_programs/humanizing_lawschool.php

The Humanizing Legal Education Listserv is a forum discussion of the humanizing legal ed movement. To join the listserv, go to http://www.law.fsu.edu/academic_programs/humanizing_lawschool.php.

The International Education for Peace Institute of Switzerland, in collaboration with EFP-Balkans, is holding two seminars on the topics of creating a Culture of Healing and Leadership for Peace in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, March 28 - April 1, 2005. These seminars are geared towards leaders and representatives from organizations, civic institutions and governmental agencies, practitioners, university students, teachers, as well as individuals interested in these topics. If you have any questions about the upcoming training seminars, please contact them at academic@efpinternational.org or by phone at: +1-604-639-7910.

VORP Organizing Institute: April 6-8, Fresno, California. The Restorative Justice Project in cooperation with the Fresno Victim Offender Reconciliation Program, has designed a unique seminar for individuals and communities interested in starting a VORP in their area. The seminar is designed for a 3-member team. Each team will receive a complete, up-to-date package of materials needed to initiate and operate a VORP, including the 250 page VORP Organizing & Program Manual and the Volunteer Training Manual. For more details, go to: http://peace.fresno.edu/docs/VORPOrgInst.pdf.

Community Conferencing Training Workshop: April 7-9, 2005 in Edmonton, Alberta, presented by the Alberta Conflict Transformation Society (ACTS.) Many cultures around the world have used processes similar to Community Conferencing. Community Conferencing teaches a new way of dealing with conflict with youth, for the everyday workplace, or for those wishing to become a facilitator. In many ways, Community Conferencing is a rediscovery of this traditional restorative justice method. Community Conferencing is a process where a person in conflict and creating harm is allowed the opportunity to be directly accountable to those harmed. Through a face-to-face meeting, the person(s) creating harm is allowed the opportunity to be directly accountable to those harmed. The person harmed has a direct say in how the harm can be repaired. Community Conferencing facilitates the reintegration of the person(s) causing harm and those harmed, back into the relationship, school, workplace or community. Cost: $500 for non-members, $450 for ACTS members. Registration Deadline: April 1^st, 2005. Further information for registration please contact: Sue Hopgood: Phone: (780) 944-5265, Fax (780) 451-4013, Email: suehopgood@ACTSociety.ca.

7th Annual Global Nonviolence Conference on April 16-21, 2005 in Detroit, Michigan sponsored by the Michigan Institute for Nonviolence Education. Since 1998, the Global Nonviolence Conferences have take place annually in cities including Atlanta and Miami in the U.S. and Durban, South Africa as well as Medellin, Colombia. The primary goal is to institutionalize nonviolence by mobilizing, educating and training leaders in nonviolent conflict reconciliation, and assisting them with implementing nonviolent strategies in their respective communities. This has proven effective in addressing problems such as aggressive behavior, violence and other human/race relations problems in homes, schools, police departments, churches, workplaces and the community at large. For more information go to their website: http://www.nonviolenceeducation.org/conference.htm.

Eleventh United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. April 18-25, 2005. The theme of this conference is “Synergies and responses: strategic alliances in crime prevention and criminal justice.” For more information, go to http://pwgnet.com/core/showpage2.php?O=22&R=424 or e-mail ispac@cega.com.

Basic Victim Offender Mediation: April 25-29, 2005 in Langley, British Columbia by Frasier Region Community Justice Initiatives Association. This five-day interactive session offers a foundation in Restorative Justice processes and basic victim-offender mediation. It is rooted in the philosophy and principles of Restorative Justice and represents the culmination of CJI’s more than 20 years of practice in the field. The course covers conflict resolution skills, case development, basic victim-offender mediation, and the benefits and risks of victim-offender mediation. This experiential training involves role-play practice with coaches, and focuses on the distinctive components of victim-offender mediation. All training materials are provided, including a copy of Howard Zehr’s Little Book of Restorative Justice, and certificates of completion will be presented. Class size is limited to 20 to ensure a quality experience for all. For more information go to: http://www.cjibc.org/training.htm.

The Third American Symposium on Victimology: Victimology Across the Americas will be held April 28-30, 2005 in Fresno, California. Since its foundation in 2003, the American Society of Victimology has sponsored symposiums that encourage a balance of participation between practitioners with educators and researchers. This balance must be encouraged across the United States as well as our neighbors throughout the Americas. Thus the theme of the third symposium, Victimology for the Americas. For more information, go to: http://www.american-society-victimology.us/events/asv_2005/index.html.

Capital University Law School 2nd National Conference of Minority Professionals in Alternative Dispute Resolution will be held May 19-21, 2005 at Capital University Law School, Columbus, OH. The National Conference of Minority Professionals in Alternative Dispute Resolution is an initiative launched by Capital University Law School to increase the presence of minority professionals at all levels and in all areas of alternative dispute resolution. For more information, go to: http://www.law.capital.edu/adr/.

Restorative Action in Schools: Conversation Peace: May 26-28, 2005 in Langley, British Columbia by Frasier Region Community Justice Initiatives Association. This course is based on CJI's experiences implementing the Educating for Peacebuilding program in the Langley School District #35. the focus is on "Restorative Action" philosophy, principles and tools which encourage responses to youth conflict that are needs-based and promote healing and accountability. The training is presented in a hands-on format that includes skills for working with conflict and mediation in the context of a restorative framework. The session focusses on Conversation Peace, a curriculum developed by CJI in partnership with the Langley School District #35, which has been implemented with youth and adults in a number of secondary schools. All training materials are provided, including a copy of the Conversation Peace student workbook. Certificates of completion will be presented. Class size is limited to 20 to ensure a quality experience for all. For more information go to: http://www.cjibc.org/training.htm.

The 2005 Conference and Skills-Building Institute on Family Group Decision Making: "One Family, One Community, Many Voices - Rediscover the Village" in Long Beach, California, U.S.A., June 8-11, 2005.Conference highlights include: skills-building institutes and seminars presented by world-renowned leaders; keynotes by Dorothy Roberts, J.D. and Father Gregory Boyle, S.J.; workshops, discussion groups and local community program tours. A town-hall meeting will take place, with families who appeared in the FGDM video, Family Voices, a co-production of the IIRP and American Humane, to discuss the impact of FGDM on their communities, families, children and themselves. For more information about the FGDM conference, please go to: http://www.fgdm.org.
To download a PDF of the conference brochure, please go to: http://www.americanhumane.org/site/DocServer/FGDmconfbroch05.pdf?docID=2381. For more information about the video, please go to: http://www.iirp.org/booksvideos/description/familyvoices.html.

Basic Institute in Conflict Management and Mediation, August 8-12, 2005 at Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, California. The Basic Institute is designed for people who wish to acquire basic understandings and skills for managing and resolving conflict. For more information, go to http://www.fresno.edu/pacs/events.php.

Save the Date! The 2005 Restorative Community Justice Conference is scheduled for September 13-15, 2005 in Estes Park, Colorado. Look for “Call to Presenter” information and other details at http://www.coloradorestorativejustice.org/

11th Restorative Justice Conference, "The Changing Criminal Justice System: Transforming Practice Through Restorative Justice Legislation." will be held September 23-24, 2005 at Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, CA with pre-conference training to be held September 22, 2005. More information will be posted at: http://peace.fresno.edu/calendar.php.

Request for Proposals: The VOMA (Victim Offender Mediation Association) Conference Committee is pleased to announce the 2005 conference dates of October 24-28, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On the web site at http://voma.org/conf05.shtml, you will find the RFP to submit your submissions for a conference presentation. The original January 10 deadline for workshop and training proposals for VOMA's 2005 conference has been extended. There is still time to send your proposal in (by email or snail mail) for training institute/conference presentations. For more info contact: Lorraine Amstutz at LSA@mcc.org.

Conference abstracts now available for the February 2005 conference in Canberra, Australia, "Empirical Findings & Theory Developments in RJ: Where are we now?" People unable to attend the Conference are already expressing an interest in obtaining the papers after the Conference. Conference abstracts are now available at: http://regnet.anu.edu.au/events/RJconf/speakers.htm.

Nominations Sought For 2005 International Prize For Restorative Justice: The PFI Centre for Justice and Reconciliation (PFICJR) is seeking nominations for the 2005 International Prize for Restorative Justice, to be awarded in August 2005. This award recognizes significant advances in the implementation of restorative justice. The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2005. For more information, go to: http://www.restorativejustice.org/rj3/Feature/2004/Novemeber/RJ%20Prize.htm "The Way Home: Stories of Forgiveness" documentary, on which Marty Price, partner of RLS founder J. Kim Wright, was a consultant, aired nationally on the Hallmark Channel on Sunday, May 23, 2004. The one-hour program, narrated by Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Glenn Close, recounts how Americans faced with difficult circumstances learn to come together and tear down the walls that divide them. This documentary features three poignant stories illustrating how individuals find the power to give or accept forgiveness, overcome hate, and embrace cultural and religious differences. For those who missed this program, you can order it directly for $15.99 at http://www.visionvideo.com/?vid=3662&k=fv.

A Charter for Practitioners of Restorative Justice was crafted in 2002 and 2003 by a group of practitioners in British Columbia in an effort to articulate "that which guides our work, practice and commitment to restorative justice." It sets out guidelines, values and principles for practicing restorative processes to help ensure that restorative justice is practiced in such a way as to achieve healing, community and peace. This Charter can be found in full-text at: http://www.sfu.ca/cfrj/fulltext/charter.pdf. We invite you examine, circulate and/or discuss this Charter with colleagues, and if you choose, to add your name as a signatory to it (by emailing the Centre for Restorative Justice at mlegan@sfu.ca ). Your name will be added to the Charter, and you will receive an invitation to have a voice in the ongoing process of examining, revisiting and revising the Charter. The Centre for Restorative Justice at Simon Fraser University will periodically host gatherings to discuss the Charter as it relates to current topics or issues in restorative justice. The main purpose of these gatherings is to examine, and possibly expand the scope of the Charter or edit its contents to reflect newly developed insights in restorative justice and its practice. Should you become a signatory, and stay in touch with the Centre, you will receive an invitation to these gatherings. We anticipate that these gatherings will be held semesterly (every four months), and anticipate the first will be held in early April of 2005. For more information go to www.sfu.ca/crj or contact Meredith Egan at email mlegan@sfu.ca.

The Restorative Practices eForum is two years old! The eForum is a free service provided by the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), an educational non-profit organization. As a subscriber, you will receive occasional short e-mails, containing brief summaries of significant articles, research reports or information about restorative practices events - with internet links if you want more detail. To sign up for the eForum go to: http://www.restorativepractices.org/Pages/eforum.html.

Restorative Justice Listserve hosted by the Forum on Restorative Community Justice. Members will be sent training announcements, event announcements, relevant restorative justice information, legislative information, and the Forum’s newsletter. They sending approximately one message per week. To join send an email to Listserve-request@coloradorestorativejustice.org. Leave the subject line blank and type into the body of the e-mail: YourEmail@YourDomain.com. You can also visit their website at http://www.coloradorestorativejustice.org.

New Journal: The Journal of International Criminal Justice is a new journal to be published focusing on the major problems of justice from the angle of law, jurisprudence, criminology, penal philosophy, and the history of international judicial institutions. You can see the journal website at: http://www.jicj.oupjournals.org/

Resource “Prisons Almanac 2004” published by the Prisons Foundation. This is a large (8 ½ by 11, over 200 pages) reference book containing the most promising and uplifting prison-related news stories of the previous year. It also features the most up-to-date data on prisoners and prisons in America. Finally, we've included abundant advice and predictions for the new year by those with insight and experience in the prison world, including ex-prisoner Elton Edwards who left prison to work for the ACLU, Tom Lagana who edited Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul and other important books, and ex-prisoner Mary Barr who now heads a successful reentry program. Until April 15, Prisons Almanac 2004 is available at the specially discounted price of $49 (reg. $69), postage and handling included. You can order your copy on line by going to http://prisonsfoundation.org/.

Restorative Justice Online is a monthly online magazine published by the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation which contains informative articles about the restorative justice movement in the United States and abroad. See http://www.restorativejustice.org/

TJ conference “At the Cutting Edge: Therapeutic Jurisprudence in Magistrates Courts” is scheduled for April 8, 2005 in Perth, Western Australia. An approach to law and court practice that is gaining increasing acceptance and application worldwide is therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ). In Western Australia, Magistrates Courts are leaders in the application of TJ. The Perth Drug Court and the Geraldton Magistrates Court are organising the above conference. It aims to cover the work of Magistrates Courts applying therapeutic jurisprudence. The conference is intended to be interdisciplinary in nature and will be of interest to academics and practitioners in the fields of justice, psychology, health and social work. For more information, e-mail kate.wilson@justice.wa.gov.au.

Conference "At the Cutting Edge: Therapeutic Jurisprudence in Magistrates Courts" is to be held in Perth, Western Australia on Friday 6 May 2005.The agenda for the conference has been settled and includes sessions on Aboriginal Courts, Drug Courts, Family Issues Courts---Family Violence and Child Welfare---and the role of the legal profession and papers on specialist courts generally, the path ahead for TJ in courts and the roles of other professionals in TJ based courts. A copy of the conference agenda and registration papers may be found at http://www.law.arizona.edu/depts/upr-intj/ or may be obtained by sending an email to kate.wilson@justice.wa.gov.au.

The 2005 David & Cecilia Ting Forum on Justice Policy, “Parole and Conditional Release at the Crossroads: Rethinking Relationships and Responsibilities” will be held Thursday May 26, 2005 at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Asia Pacific Hall, 580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, B. C. Join national and local resource people for a full day of Dialogue featuring a variety of perspectives. For more information, please contact Jane Miller-Ashton at the Simon Fraser University School of Criminology at janemiller@sfu.ca.

Call for Submissions! The European Association of Psychology and Law (EAPL) will hold its 15th International Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania from June 29-July 2, 2005. The Conference Committee invites researchers and practitioners, academics and professionals, scientists, lawyers and consultants to submit abstracts on all aspects of research, teaching and policy relating to legal and psychological disciplines. The conference will consider the interplay between psychology and the law in many different areas including Criminal Courts, Family Courts, Prisons, Forensic Clinics, Police investigations, Long-stay forensic hospitals, The context of Social 'care', Legislation and government policy. Submissions deadline: March 15, 2005 for Symposia, Individual Papers and Individual Posters. For more information, see the conference website http://www.ltu.lt/~ecpl/. James McGuire, a psychologist at U Liverpool, is coordinating TJ related presentations and panels. Persons interested in presenting on a TJ panel should email James McGuire at j.mcguire01@liverpool.ac.uk.

Therapeutic Justice Panel for International Congress in Paris: Sharon Portwood and John Q. La Fond wish to assemble one or more panels on the general subject of Therapeutic Jurisprudence for the next International Congress to be held by the International Academy of Law and Mental Health in Paris in July 2005. The panel sessions will be held on Wednedsay, Thursday, and Friday, July 6th, 7th, and 8th. Please let John know if you would be interested in participating on a panel. He may be reached at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law at (816)-235-5818 or LafondJ@umkc.edu.

The International Congress of Law and Mental Health will being holding their 29th Annual Conference in Paris, France July 4-10, 2005. For more information on the conference please see the website. John La Fond is organizing speaker panels based around TJ for at this conference. If you are interested in presenting at it please email him at LafondJ@umkc.edu.

A New Online Resource for Problem-Solving Courts: For over a decade, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has studied problem-solving courts and provided hands-on assistance to states interested in setting up such courts. Now, all the information and other resources you need to help your jurisdiction develop the problem-solving approach is available on one Web page: the Problem-Solving Courts Resource Center at http://www.ncsconline.org/.. This Web page provides a host of resources and links to NCSC products and services related to problem-solving courts in three areas: Help for Courts (including consulting and information); Administration of Problem-Solving Courts (including best practices and theory and ethics); Resources on Specific Types of Courts (including drug and family violence courts).

A symposium issue on therapeutic jurisprudence was published in December, 2004 in Volume 7, Number 1 of Contemporary Issues in Law (2003/2004), a UK law journal published by Lawtext publishing ( www.lawtext.com). Articles in this issue include:

New publication from the Center for Court Innovation, "Planning a Domestic Violence Court: The New York State Experience," describes the development of the domestic violence court model in New York State, from a single experiment in Brooklyn to statewide replication. To download, go to http://www.courtinnovation.org/publications.html#featuredpub.

New Therapeutic Jurisprudence Book Published: “Civil Commitment: A Therapeutic Jurisprudence Model” by Bruce Winick was published by Carolina Academic Press in January. For more information on the book, click here: www.brucewinick.com.

Canada's National Judicial Institute (NJI) has just published an important judicial problem solving/therapeutic jurisprudence manual. According to David Wexler, “It is short, meaty, very readable, and ought to be of great value internationally.” The manual is available online and, according to the publisher, non-commercial reproduction is encouraged. To access it, go to the NJI's website at http://www.nji.ca and click on 'education' and then 'publications', and finally on the title of the manual itself, "Judging for the 21st Century: A Problem-solving Approach."

Congratulations to Bruce Winick, whose writings in therapeutic jurisprudence have led to his receiving his University's (University of Miami provost award for scholarly productivity. For more information on Bruce Winick and his body of work, go to: http://www.brucewinick.com/

Problem Solving and Therapeutic Jurisprudence Handbook for Judges: The National Judicial Institute has published a handbook for judges on problem solving and therapeutic jurisprudence. The preparation of this document has involved a long and collaborative effort among many individuals in Canada and abroad. Starting tomorrow you may access the handbook by going to the NJI website at http://www.nji.ca/ and clicking on the publications button. The title of the handbook is “Judging for the 21st Century: A Problem-solving Approach.”

Therapeutic Jurisprudence Society launched at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis: According to the Society's constitution, the purposes are to expose interested students and members of the legal profession to TJ, to keep abreast of upcoming activities, and to 'encourage members of the legal community to incorporate therapeutic jurisprudence into their practice by bringing insights from the behavioral sciences--psychology, social work, criminology and the like--into the law and to be aware of the law's impact on emotional life. The organization’s president is David A. Brown, e-mail address: daabrown@iupui.edu.

Call for Submissions! The International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS) is aninterdisciplinary, international, and peer reviewed online journal. The journal emphasizes the collective understanding of criminological issues in an International perspective. IJCJS welcomes manuscript submissions year round. The IJCJS encourages quality scholarship articles from relevant academic disciplines aswell as from practitioners in the private and public sector. The Journal accepts manuscript submissions in the subject areas of criminology, criminal justice, and victimology. All research should be understood and examined through a transnational perspective.The Journal will consider the following items for publication: essays, articles, book reviews, literature, and interviews. All articles must be grounded on relevant and recent scholarship in the fields of our interest. The maximum length should not exceed twenty five pages (4000-5000 words), including notes and illustrations. References in the notes should conform to the mode specified in APA Style. Manuscripts should be submitted as MS Word attachment to the ManagingEditor at cjf_india@yahoo.com. For more information about the journal, go to http://www.doccj.co.nr/

New Therapeutic Jurisprudence Book Published: “Involuntary Detention and Therapeutic Jurisprudence: International Perspectives on Civil Commitment.” Edited by Kate Diesfeld and Ian Freckelton. This collection is written from a therapeutic jurisprudence perspective and draws on international contributors who all share a commitment to evaluating whether the civil detention processes protect the liberty, dignity and justice interests of those with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities. For more information or to order, go to http://www.ashgate.com/,

New Book on The Relationship Between Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Elder Law: “The Law and Older Persons: Is Geriatric Jurisprudence Therapeutic?” For more information, see http://www.cap-press.com/.

The Project for Integrating Spirituality, Law, and Politics is 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/.

Call for Proposals! Community Law Center will Host 2nd Annual Conference in the Fall of 2005 September or October 2005. The Community Law Center has been at the forefront of developing legal strategies for grassroots community-based organizations. Their legally-based problem solving strategies are defining a body of law known as “community law” and incorporates a coordinated, systematic approach to community revitalization. The Conference Planning Committee is accepting workshop proposals for the following areas: Community Lawyering; Community-Based Development; Economic Development in Distressed Communities; Ending Predatory Real Estate Practices; Unique Case Study/Model Projects (Best practices or model projects on a neighborhood revitalization issue or topic). Submit your proposal today! Mail or Fax Proposals to: Community Law Center Conference Planning Committee 2500 Maryland Ave. Baltimore, MD 21218. (Fax: 410-366-7763.) Who should submit proposals? Lawyers; Academics; Non-Profits focused on communities; Community leaders/organizers; community-focused non-profits; government/business entities with unique programs/partnerships with community groups. If you are chosen to present, you will be given the exact date to allow you to confirm your availability. For more information to http://www.communitylaw.org/Call%20for%20presentations.htm. Or contact the Community Law Center at Kristined@communitylaw.org or 410-366-0922.

14 Lawyers as Peacemakers

University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) School of Law offers an LL.M. Program in Dispute Resolution. The MU Law School is recognized internationally as a leader in dispute resolution and the faculty features one of the largest groups of dispute resolution experts of any law school. Now in its sixth year, the LL.M. program has 22 students from diverse backgrounds. L.L.M. graduates work across the

U.S.

and abroad in a variety of positions. Students may enroll full-time or part-time. Applicants submitting complete files by January 1 receive decisions in February. Applicants submitting complete files by March 1 receive decisions in April. Applications received after March 1 will be reviewed on a rolling basis if space is still availableFinancial aid is available, including the Rankin M. Gibson LL.M. Scholarship and LL.M. fellowships. http://www.law.missouri.edu/llmdr/fin_support_form.pdf. Full information about the LL.M. Program is on the web at http://www.law.missouri.edu/llmdr. If you or others have questions, contact Professor John Lande at (573) 882-3914, landej@missouri.edu, or Karen Neylon, the program coordinator, at (573) 882-2020, umclawcdr@missouri.edu.

New Joint J.D./Masters Degree Program, “Law and Peacemaking.” Fresno Pacific University and San Joaquin College of Law formally announced the creation of the first cooperative degree program of its kind in the nation. This program teaches new lawyers the skill of peacemaking, creating a new era of law. The successful graduate upon completion of the required courses through both institutions would earn both a juris doctorate from San Joaquin College of Law and a master of arts in peacemaking and conflict studies from Fresno Pacific University. Signing on behalf of the San Joaquin College of Law was Board of Directors Chair Douglas Noll and Dean Janice Pearson. Signing for Fresno Pacific University was Provost Patricia Anderson, Board of Trustees Chair Larry Martens and President D. Merrill Ewert. According to San Joaquin College of Law Board of Directors Chair Douglas Noll, the cooperative program seeks to create a new breed of professionals: the lawyer-peacemaker. "Lawyers face human conflict every day and often attempt to resolve problems outside of litigation. Unfortunately, human conflicts are often reduced to money, injunctions and declarations of rights. This approach frequently fails miserably, leaving all parties dissatisfied with the outcomes. Peacemakers are trained to understand human conflict and the necessary conditions for peaceful resolution from a multi-disciplinary perspective." You can read the Fresno Bee article on the subject at http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8873399p-9763161c.html. For more information contact the Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies pacs@fresno.edu or go to http://peace.fresno.edu/.

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: http://www.peacemaker.st/. In the alternative, e-mail Bradley at: blwjalmar@att.net and he will send a MSWord document with the guidelines.

New website of the European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation at http://www.conflictprevention.org/. For those of you interested in the goal of "effective action in conflict prevention from the community to the global level," this site will be of interest to you.

15 CLE

MCLE Ethics Programs Offered by “The Likeable Lawyer” in Texas: The introductory program, “The Trusted Lawyer” teaches communication and relationship-building skills that increase attorney success. Participants will learn effective approaches to inspire trust and credibility, attract and retain key clients, increase client satisfaction, improve listening, and ethically increase persuasion and influence. “The Persuasive Lawyer” builds upon the trust and communication models developed in The Trusted Lawyer, and teaches advanced communication skills to further increase influence, persuasion, credibility and success. Both programs are accredited for 3.5 hours of MCLE ethics credit. Programs are currently scheduled in Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Forth Worth, Houston, Lubbock, Midland and San Antonio. For more details or to register, go to: http://www.likeablelawyer.com/.

Ariadne's Thread Retreats led by Jennifer Tull provide retreats for women going through divorce and other relationship transitions, held at the beautiful Red Corral Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Ariadne’s Thread also offer 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. Retreats in 2005 are scheduled for April 14-17, June 23-26, July 28-31, and September 29 to October 2. For more information go to http://www.aspaforthesoul.com/.

13th Annual International Conference on Conflict Resolution, “Engaging the Other” to be held May 12-22, 2005, St. Petersburg, Russia. This joint US/Russian sponsored event focuses all aspects of conflict resolution and transformation, from the intrapersonal - to the interpersonal - to relationships between groups, organizations, cultures, religious traditions, and societies - and ultimately between us and other species. The 2005 program is currently being developed and presentations are being accepted. This year's conference examines fear-based belief systems, negative stereotypes, prejudice, scapegoating, revenge, victim/perpetrator identity, and justified violence for a deeper understanding of how these become embodied in our concepts of "The Other." Among the variety of related topics being addressed are dynamics of Terrorism throughout the world, Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, and issues in the Middle East and South Asia. Sponsored by Common Bond Institute (USA) & HARMONY Institute (RUSSIA),
in cooperation with Association for Humanistic Psychology. Full details available at: http://ahpweb.org/cbi.

Conflict Coaching Workshops: Cinnie Nobel, President of CINERGY™ Coaching and Noble Solutions, Inc., in presenting her nationally known three-day Conflict Coaching workshops. Conflict coaching is a specialized niche in the field of coaching. It is a one-on-one alliance in which a trained coach assists people to effectively address specific disputes and gain competency in their conflict management skills. Conflict coaching is a unique dispute resolution mechanism with wide application, not only in the organizational context but also, for coaching individuals to participate in mediation, negotiation and relational conflict. Among other things, this workshop on conflict coaching teaches participants to coach individuals to: manage and approach disputes in more collaborative ways, shift their destructive reactions to conflict, to constructive responses, and develop communication skills for managing conflict more effectively. Workshops are currently scheduled for: