Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

Negotiating At A Distance: The Impact Of Communication Media And Negotiator Traits, Dorcas Quek Anderson, Tra My Ngo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Purpose – Prior research has yet to provide a coherent theoretical framework explaining how communication media hinder or advance negotiation success, and many dated studies are unlikely to be relevant. This study aims to examine the impact of four communication media on negotiation outcomes. It also examines the potential moderating effects of the following negotiator characteristics: conflict management style, personality traits and indirect communication style.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 400 participants formed 200 dyads to negotiate a mixed- motive relational conflict through face-to-face (FTF) interaction, videoconferencing, audio call or synchronous text messaging. Linear mixed regression was used to assess the …

Why Ai May Be Your Best Negotiation And Mediation Coach, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This article explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools as negotiation and mediation coaches.  Drawing on research from negotiation, mediation, and consumer behavior, the article explains why bots can sometimes coach more effectively than humans.  In this role, they offer on-demand support that can help users prepare strategically and reflect honestly.  This support is especially valuable when seeking help from a human would feel too risky or awkward.

The article cautions against use of AI for roles requiring emotional intelligence, discretion, or legitimacy, such as negotiators, mediators, or arbitrators.  It distinguishes between AI as a thinking partner and AI …

Lawyers' Client-Inclusive Negotiations: The "New Mediation"?, Nancy A. Welsh, Donna Shestowsky

Faculty Scholarship

When proponents initially urged the courts to institutionalize mediation for the resolution of general civil cases, they argued that the procedure would be superior to trial—and also to lawyers’ settlement negotiations—in terms of parties’ exercise of self-determination, satisfaction with outcomes, and opportunity for voice. These claims, however, rested on certain assumptions, particularly regarding the implementation of mediation and lawyers’ settlement negotiations. In mediation, the parties were to take center stage, with the mediator assisting them by facilitating their communication and negotiation so that they could reach a customized resolution. Lawyers’ settlement negotiations in general civil litigation, meanwhile, were assumed to …

A Settlement By “Any Other Name”: Evaluating The Sustainability Of Settlement Mechanisms, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Singapore Law Journal (Lexicon)

Private settlements have been consistently encouraged by the Singapore civil justice system. Depending on the context, the settlement may take on many forms, including consent orders and settlement agreements. This begs the question of whether the exact form of settlement matters, or whether a settlement “by any other name” suffices. This article proposes the concept of “sustainable settlements” – comprising the measures of ease of enforcement, finality, and confidentiality – to holistically appraise the effectiveness of settlement mechanisms. The assessment of six settlement mechanisms using these measures clearly indicates that not every mechanism is equally sustainable. Exploring settlement amidst the …

A Settlement By “Any Other Name”: Evaluating The Sustainability Of Settlement Mechanisms, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Private settlements have been consistently encouraged by the Singapore civil justice system. Depending on the context, the settlement may take on many forms, including consent orders and settlement agreements. This begs the question of whether the exact form of settlement matters, or whether a settlement “by any other name” suffices. This article proposes the concept of “sustainable settlements” – comprising the measures of ease of enforcement, finality, and confidentiality – to holistically appraise the effectiveness of settlement mechanisms. The assessment of six settlement mechanisms using these measures clearly indicates that not every mechanism is equally sustainable. Exploring settlement amidst the …

Promoting Better Dispute Decision-Making With An Ai Tool Built On Rps Theory, John Lande

Faculty Publications

Traditional theories of negotiation and mediation rely on rigid models, false dichotomies, and confusing terminology that fails to reflect the complexity of real practice. This article critiques those theories and introduces Real Practice Systems (RPS) theory as a more accurate and practical alternative.

RPS theory conceptualizes negotiation and mediation as sequences of professional judgment shaped by context, experience, and goals, rather than as idealized or linear processes. It promotes a realistic and ethically responsible practice by encouraging reflection, intentional process design, and adaptability.

The article introduces “RPS Coach,” a free artificial intelligence tool built on the ChatGPT platform. It is …

Thinking Like Mediators About The Future Of Ai, John Lande

Faculty Publications

Some public discourse about artificial intelligence (AI) reflects the uncertainty and tension typical of high-stakes conflicts, where differing perceptions and strong emotions shape how people respond to change. This short essay suggests that dispute resolution professionals are well-positioned to apply our tools to this emerging and complex issue, though we don’t always do so.

The essay calls for a balanced analysis of AI’s risks and benefits, drawing on familiar dispute resolution practices like careful consideration of situations, interests, and options. It highlights the differences between individual and societal impacts of AI use on the environment and education. It encourages the …

Can We Train Bots To Negotiate Like Lawyers? And What Do We Learn About Bargaining As We Do?, Dwight Golann

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

Forthcoming in 79 Wash. U. J. of Law and Policy ____ (2025)

AI “bots” like ChatGPT can negotiate without training, but they are overly cooperative, making concessions that weaken their bargaining position—unlike skilled legal negotiators, who adapt their tactics to individual situations as well as what occurs in the process and move as needed between cooperative and competitive tactics.

The article explores how to train bots to “negotiate like lawyers” by giving them role instructions, knowledge about bargaining, and iterative practice, including step-by-step instructions to create a bargaining bot in ChatGPT.

The author notes that texts on negotiation, and his …

Training Humanoids To Use Good Dispute Resolution Language, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This short essay uses satire to spotlight the entrenched, misleading terminology widely used in the dispute resolution field, especially in legal and academic settings. Drawing on metaphors of humanoids, bots, and malware, it critiques outdated jargon like “facilitative” and “evaluative” mediation and proposes clearer alternatives derived from Real Practice Systems theory. It describes efforts to train an AI tool, the RPS Negotiation and Mediation Coach, to model improved language use and nudge human users toward better decision-making. Though light in tone, it reflects a serious commitment to reforming the way we talk about and practice negotiation and mediation.

When Ai Comes To The Table: How Tech Tools Will Change Adr, John Lande

Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly reshaping the landscape of dispute resolution. This article explores how an expanding range of AI tools will influence negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and related processes. These tools will serve a wide array of users and contexts, reflect differing practice philosophies, and raise important questions about fairness, transparency, and values. Drawing on theory, practice, and real-world examples, the article identifies seven categories of emerging tools – from dispute prevention and practitioner preparation to education and platform integration. It highlights the importance of ethical design, user awareness, and professional responsibility, arguing that AI should support – not replace …

Getting The Most From Ai Tools: A Practical Guide To Writing Effective Prompts, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This article is a companion to How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bot: What I Learned About AI and What You Can Too. This article helps users, especially those in dispute resolution roles, learn how to write effective prompts and engage productively with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The goal is to make AI less intimidating and more useful – one good question at a time.

The article shows how users can choose appropriate tools, formulate effective prompts, and generate useful results. It offers role-specific prompt suggestions for mediators, attorneys, disputants, ADR program managers, law school faculty, …

How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bot: What I Learned About Ai And What You Can Too, John Lande

Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools play an increasingly prominent role in legal education, legal practice, and dispute resolution. People’s understanding of how these tools work varies widely. This article outlines a framework to improve AI literacy among dispute resolution practitioners, parties, ADR program managers, faculty, students, and scholars. It highlights emerging trends and offers practical suggestions and resources to support AI literacy and the responsible integration of AI into their work. A companion article, Getting the Most from AI Tools: A Practical Guide to Writing Effective Prompts, helps users, especially those in dispute resolution roles, learn how to write effective …

Rps Coach Project: A Growing Library About A Valuable Ai Tool, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This document collects a growing library of publications, videos, and podcasts about the RPS Negotiation and Mediation Coach (RPS Coach), an AI tool grounded in Real Practice Systems (RPS) Theory. RPS Coach is designed to support mediators, lawyers, parties, educators, students, and scholars by promoting good decision-making and reflective practice in negotiation and mediation. This piece summarizes articles and blog posts that present the theory, knowledge base, and functions of RPS Coach, along with practical guidance for its use in dispute resolution, writing, and legal education. It includes links to each publication and will be updated as new work is …

Rps Coach Is Biased - And Proud Of It, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This short essay explores the concept of bias in artificial intelligence tools used in dispute resolution. Biases are not necessarily flaws to be avoided, but inevitable and potentially constructive features of these tools. They reflect values and design choices that AI developers should disclose.

There are both market and ethical imperatives for AI tools to disclose their features and embedded values. As developers compete for users, people will want to know what they’re getting. Disclosure helps users understand the effects of assumptions, priorities, and frameworks built into a tool’s design, and thus should be treated as a core ethical principle. …

Technology And Me And You: Getting Comfortable With Ai, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This short essay reflects on the author’s surprising dive into artificial intelligence (AI) despite his longstanding caution about adopting new technology. As a self-described tech-wary curmudgeon who avoids unnecessary upgrades and stays off social media, the author explores how AI – specifically, a custom-built RPS (Real Practice Systems) Negotiation and Mediation Coach – nonetheless has proved to be unexpectedly valuable.

Drawing from personal experience, the essay suggests how people can become comfortable using AI, suggesting how they can overcome hesitation and use AI productively. Rather than treating AI as a black box or magic solution, it emphasizes the importance of …

The Artificially Intelligent Rps Negotiation And Mediation Coach, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This document describes the artificially intelligent RPS Negotiation and Mediation Coach (“RPS Coach”) tool, which is an outgrowth of the Real Practice Systems (RPS) Project. It is designed to help many different users perform numerous tasks including (1) attorneys anticipating challenges, strategizing, and representing clients, (2) mediators enhancing preparation, communication, and decision-making, (3) disputing parties making better decisions, (4) ADR program administrators developing clear rules, policies, and materials, (5) educators and trainers teaching practical theory and skills, and (6) students and trainees learning practical theory and skills.

RPS theory and practice is designed to help attorneys and mediators help their …

Negotiating With Gpt-4: Digital Doormat Or Skilful Counterpart?, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4 have been creatively harnessed in the conflict resolution arena as dialogue agents interacting with humans within negotiations, due to their capacity for in-context learning and giving human-like responses. In light of the burgeoning use of LLMs in conflict resolution training, a pilot study was conducted to ascertain the desirability of using dialogue agents built on GPT-4 in conducting simulations for students learning negotiation skills. This article discusses insights gained from the study on the reliability of LLM agents in following prompts for negotiation simulations; notable negotiation behaviour of the LLM agent; the degree …

Time-Pressured Negotiations, Hal Abramson

Scholarly Works

This Article considers how to negotiate when you do not have the time to use your best negotiation practices. No other article has considered what to do when in a time-pressured negotiation other than to advise you not to be trapped by a deadline. When you have no choice but to rush, this Article examines the choices that will reduce the risks posed by skipping any best practices.

This Article first considers the inherent risks of taking shortcuts and then describes a negotiation map suitable when not rushed as a guide for selecting shortcuts when rushed. After this introduction, the …

Law, Conflict, And Hybrid Warfare: A Teaching Imperative For A Changing World, Cynthia Alkon, Andrea Kupfer Schneider

Faculty Scholarship

Lawyers increasingly find themselves at the frontlines of the battlefield, just not in the traditional sense. Hybrid warfare is a conflict form that combines traditional military offensive measures with nontraditional methods, including the harnessing of legal systems to achieve strategic goals. Lawyers have always been at the frontline of typical legal risk assessment, thinking about a client's risk of liability or regulation costs generally. Now, lawyers must stand at the ready for a lot more: lawyers must be prepared for cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns using artificial intelligence, the use of court systems to suppress reporting or shield bad actors, and so …

Kukin Program Newsletter – Fall 2024, Kukin Program For Conflict Resolution

Kukin Program Newsletters

The Kukin Program Newsletter – Fall 2024 captures recent achievements, events, and updates from the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution at Cardozo School of Law. This issue highlights the prestigious Peace Gala honoring founding director Professor Lela P. Love, insights from prominent alumni in the dispute resolution field, student leadership accomplishments, and recent awards and fellowships. Readers can explore feature articles on impactful projects and innovations in conflict resolution, including new initiatives by the CPR Institute and the International Advocate for Peace Award. This newsletter offers a comprehensive view of the Kukin Program’s dedication to advancing negotiation, mediation, and advocacy …

Real Practice Systems Project Menu Of Checklists For Attorneys In Mediation, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This is a detailed menu of checklists for attorneys representing clients in mediation, including actions before, during, and after mediation sessions. The checklists include items about information to provide on websites, compliance with ethical requirements, and reflection and improvement of techniques. They are intended to prompt attorneys to become more conscious and intentional in their work, helping them to develop routines and strategies for dealing with recurring problems.

The checklists are extensive but not exhaustive. They are not recipes to follow strictly, thoughtlessly, or completely. Instead, they should help attorneys decide what to do in any specific case or in …

The Case For Mediation Representation Clinics And Externships, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This article recommends that law schools offer mediation representation clinics and externship courses to assist self-represented litigants in cases with legally-represented parties. These courses would prepare law students to practice in the modern world. Students would get experience working with real clients, conduct interviews, help clients assess their goals and interests, analyze claims, perform legal research, prepare documents, coordinate with mediators, and negotiate with counterpart attorneys.

The courses would address the needs of multiple stakeholders including self-represented litigants, law students, law schools, courts, attorneys, mediators, and society in general. Law schools would develop these courses in collaboration with many potential …

The Case For Strategic Case Evaluation And Management Courses, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This short article argues that law schools should substantially increase instruction in pretrial litigation, teaching students how to strategically evaluate and manage cases. Law school graduates generally are unprepared to work with clients, have difficulty communicating with clients, and don’t understand the “big picture” of client matters. They generally aren’t well trained in negotiation, which is essential in modern legal practice. The problem for law students and law schools is exacerbated by the transition to the NextGen bar exam and a movement in various states to use alternative mechanisms for licensing that would require demonstration of practical skills.

To address …

Fitting The Communication Forum To The Mediation Fuss: Choosing The Appropriate Communication Mode For Mediation In The Post-Pandemic World, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mediations have shifted dramatically from face-to-face settings to the virtual realm, resulting in the widespread acceptance of using virtual communication channels, including videoconferencing, audio calls, and text messaging. With the waning of the pandemic, mediators and parties presently face a plethora of choices in fitting their mediation to the appropriate communication channel. Thus, having an accurate, evidence-based understanding of different communication modes’ impact on mediation is necessary to design an optimal mediation process.Some decades ago, Sander and Goldberg formulated the phrase “fitting the forum to the fuss” to describe the process of choosing the most appropriate …

Real Practice Systems Annotated Bibliography, John Lande

Faculty Publications

Real Practice Systems (RPS) theory holds that practitioners’ practice systems are based on their personal histories, values, goals, motivations, knowledge, and skills as well as the parties and the cases in their work. RPS analysis can be used in many dispute resolution roles such as mediator, advocate in mediation, negotiator, and litigator generally. In mediation, practitioners develop categories of cases, parties, and behavior patterns that lead them to design routine procedures and strategies for dealing with recurring challenges before, during, and after mediation sessions.

RPS theory is the culmination of much of the work in my scholarly career. The bibliography …

Incorporating Real-World Legal Practice Into Law School Curricula, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This annotated bibliography was prepared for the program, “Pracademically Speaking: Incorporating Real-World Legal Practice Into the Curriculum,” at the 2024 Annual Conference of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. It includes relevant entries from the Real Practice Systems Project Annotated Bibliography.

This includes three sections, identifying: (1) problems with legal education and licensing, (2) resources for law schools and faculty, and (3) resources for law students. It particularly focuses on teaching skills for helping clients, which is critically important because practitioners often fail to recognize and respect clients’ perspectives and interests. Teaching students to work well with clients – and …

Practitioners Tell Why Real Practice System Checklists Are So Useful, John Lande

Faculty Publications

Following the rave reviews for the Real Practice System Menu of Mediation Checklists, I asked practitioners to describe how they might use them. Peter Benner, Graham Boyack, Gary Doernhoefer, Brian Farkas, Clare Fowler, Laura Kaster, Randy Kiser, Jim McGuire, Paul Monicatti, John Sturrock, Jeff Trueman, Tom Valenti, and two court mediators provided extremely thoughtful responses.

This article summarizes their ideas using excerpts from their responses. It illustrates how the checklists can help mediators carefully design their unique practice systems, starting from providing general information about their practices to engaging in self-assessments after cases – and everything in between. The checklists …

Negotiation Map For Teaching And Practice, Harold I. Abramson

Scholarly Works

Negotiations can move at lightning speed in unpredictable directions, leaving you seconds to instinctively act. Your instinct can be informed by first-hand experiences, formal education, and mistakes. You can boost your instinct by using the negotiation map in this article for tracking where you are and guiding where you and others should go to reach a resolution. This three-part map solves a puzzle that has confounded me for a couple decades. It offers a succinct and practical schematic that has the capacity to incorporate much of the exponential growth in literature and learning since Getting to Yes was published in …

Kukin Program Newsletter – Fall 2023, Kukin Program For Conflict Resolution

Kukin Program Newsletters

The Kukin Program Newsletter – Fall 2023 highlights key developments, events, and achievements within Cardozo Law’s Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution. The newsletter covers updates such as the launch of the Cardozo Invitational Negotiation in Entertainment, Media, and Art, and Gloria Steinem's recognition with the International Advocate for Peace Award. It also announces new courses, including The Law of Settlement and International Peacebuilding: Israel, and welcomes new adjunct faculty. Additionally, students and alumni achievements are featured, such as awards, fellowships, and new roles in conflict resolution and mediation. Notably, the newsletter shares information on restorative justice initiatives and diversity …

Selected Dispute Resolution Bibliography, Shannon Moldaver, Trevor C. W. Farrow

Articles & Book Chapters

Included in this bibliography is a selected set of dispute resolution and related professional responsibility and access to justice readings, primarily (although not exclusively) with a general negotiation and mediation focus. This bibliography is not comprehensive. Rather – given the breadth of dispute resolution, legal process, professional responsibility, and access to justice materials available – this bibliography includes a brief sampling of available readings that may be of interest to those studying, practicing, or thinking about dispute resolution.