What we see,” said English statesman Sir John Lubbock, “depends mainly on what we look for.” In workplace conflict, the traditional problem-solving approach is to focus on what isn’t working and figure out how to fix it. Yet such negative “spotlighting” can actually have a limiting effect on the potential...

Pauline Tesler, a prominent leader of the Collaborative Practice movement, complained about critics using a “doubting game” to unfairly criticize Collaborative Practice. She cites Professor Deborah Tannen’s concept of a “doubting game” in which people are so focused on winning arguments that they oversimplify the situation, give selective portrayals of...

Frequently Asked Questions About Cooperative Practice, including Why Should You Care? What is Cooperative Practice? Cooperative Practice (or “Cooperative Law” or “Cooperative Negotiation”) involves an agreement – a “participation agreement” – by lawyers and parties setting out a negotiation process with a goal of reaching an agreement that is fair...

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) is renowned for its annual conference. This year, they are excited to announce that it will be held in the picturesque city of Anaheim, CA from June 10-14, 2009. The grand finale on Sunday, June 14, will be dedicated to Problem Solving...

While our country celebrated the anniversary of its independence, world leaders and rule of law experts from 112 others converged on Vienna, Austria, as presenters and in the four day World Justice Forum. Hundreds of leaders from diverse disciplines gathered officially to launch the World Justice Project, a multidisciplinary, multinational...

There was a time when it was cause for great pride to have your children follow in your professional footsteps. According to a release by Hudson UK, one of the world’s leading recruitment and human resource consultancies with offices on four continents, nearly one in three male lawyers (32.3%) would...

I remember sitting in a performance review one year where my supervising partner attended with one sheet of paper - a printout of my billings for the year. At the end of a year of long hours and hard work, everything I had given the firm was reduced to one...

The Center for Court Innovation, long standing authority on Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Problem-Solving Courts, has created a resource toolkit for individuals creating community based problem-solving initiatives. The Center for Court Innovation's website descibes the underlying principles of problem-solving justice to include: Enhanced Information Community Engagement Collaboration Individual Justice Accountability Outcomes...

Two new creative projects featuring restorative justice, prison reform and the death penalty are being widely talked about. Take and Late Fragment open in theaters soon. Take, by first time writer-director Charles Oliver, examines issues surrounding the death penalty, gun laws, forgiveness and politics. Minnie Driver plays Ana, a single...

Nov. 5, 2007 Dear Fellow Lawyers: Events in Pakistan have deeply disturbed members of the legal profession, and indeed all who care about the rule of law in our world. The American Bar Association shares these concerns, and I am writing to update you on what is being done. Today,...

Dear fellow lawyers: Most of us have been shocked by the recent events in Pakistan. Gen. Pervez Musharraf's actions -- suspending the constitution, shutting down the Supreme Court, and jailing more than 3,000 lawyers -- are a clear breach of the rule of law. The American Bar Association, along with...