Master advanced conflict resolution frameworks to successfully navigate complex disputes, keep clients out of the courtroom, and achieve mutually beneficial settlements.
Traditional litigation remains a core mechanism for dispute resolution, yet many legal matters involve financial, emotional, and practical dynamics that can be difficult to resolve through adversarial processes alone. Increasingly, lawyers are being asked to manage disputes in ways that preserve relationships, reduce cost, improve client participation, and produce more sustainable outcomes. Mediation and collaborative practice have evolved beyond alternative processes into commonly used sophisticated tools requiring distinct legal, strategic, and communication skills.
This session examines mediation and collaborative practice from an advanced legal perspective, focusing on how lawyers should structure negotiation environments, manage conflict dynamics, and support client decision-making outside traditional litigation pathways. The course explores collaborative frameworks, client-centred advocacy, interdisciplinary approaches, and practical strategies for resolving complex disputes while maintaining legal and professional obligations.
Key Topics Discussed:
Mediator and Family Attorney
Forrest "Woody" Mosten is an internationally acclaimed mediator, collaborative family lawyer, educator, and author based in La Jolla, California. A tireless peacemaker for over five decades, he has devoted his career to expanding legal access and dispute resolution for underserved and diverse communities. Widely recognized as the "Father of Unbundled Legal Services," Woody pioneered the concept of limited scope legal representation and founded the Mosten Mediation Training Academy, offering online training to practitioners worldwide. He served on the faculty at UCLA School of Law from 2002–2022 and has taught at more than a dozen other law schools across North America. The recipient of numerous honors, Woody holds Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Academy of Professional Family Mediators and the New York State Mediation Association, along with the ABA Lifetime Legal Access Award, among many others. In 2024, the Pennsylvania State Bar established the Stu Webb/Forrest Mosten Peacemaker Award in his honor. He is the author of nine books on mediation and dispute resolution, with his tenth forthcoming from the ABA in 2027. Woody currently serves clients exclusively online via Zoom and remains in constant demand as a keynote speaker and expert witness at conferences around the world.
