Speaker, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education - Webinar "Post-Pandemic ADR: Do We Need to Be in the Room Where It Happens?"

Mediation and arbitration have long been viewed as disciplines that require in-person proceedings to be successful. The desired personal connection and dialog between mediation participants, and the credibility assessments that are inherent in many arbitration rulings, would appear to be unachievable virtually. Yet, we know from the past year’s protocols and practices that this is not so. This program will explore what this portends going forward, after safety concerns have been sufficiently reduced. A panel of practitioners and ADR professionals will discuss the possible benefits of the new technology on the expansion of both court-sponsored and private ADR efforts, including whether remote ADR provides an opportunity to include economically disadvantaged and other populations who heretofore could not participate due to the need to travel or for other reasons.