Day One - January 25 - Welcome and Overview

  • Introductions and Zoom Orientation
  • Impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic on Probate Mediation Practice 
  • Everything Has Changed
  • Specific Desired Outcomes 
  • Polling Word Cloud 
  • What is ODR? What is Online Mediation? 
  • Probate & Elder Issue Case Types
  • Online Mediation Resources 
  • Developing an Online Mediation Business Plan - Exercise 
Day Two - January 26 - Moving Your Practice Online
  • The Evolution of ODR & Online Mediation 
  • Asynchronous and Synchronous Interactions 
  • Communicating Through Technology 
  • Introducing CREK 
  • Online Mediation Ethics - Exercise 
  • ACTEC Commentator: Terrence M. Franklin, Los Angeles, CA (Online v FTF)
Day Three - January 27 - Online Mediation Communication Skills
  • CREK Walk-Through
  • Cross-Cultural Mediation
  • Core Skills for Online Mediators 
  • How Parties and Mediators Behave Differently Online 
  • Video Mediation - Nuts and Bolts - Zoom Practice
  • ACTEC Commentator: Brian C. Hewitt, Indianapolis, IN (Zoom)
Day Four - January 28 - Getting Your Online Mediation Practice Going
  • Agreement to Mediate and Ground Rules 
  • Resources at OnlineMediators.com 
  • Recording Online Video Introduction, Contact Pages and Forms 
  • Online Joint and Caucus Meetings 
  • ACTEC Commentators: Mary Radford, Atlanta, GA & Susan Gary, Eugene, OR (overall commentary)
Day Five - January 29 - Getting the Case Resolved
  • Mediation Strategy
  • Developing and Editing the Settlement Agreement
  • Getting a Settlement Agreement Signed 
  • Getting Cases and Marketing
  • ODR Events and Ongoing Skills Development
  • Conclusion and Wrap Up
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Testimonials About the Training

"The training was practical and insightful. I highly recommend it."

"Upon completion of this training, I expected to conclude that on-line mediation is not for me. Not so! I plan to continue my training and (once fully trained) to offer this marvelous service to the many dysfunctional families and clients who need it."

"Very practical and informative materials. A variety of knowledgeable and experienced contributors."

"This was a great introduction to online mediation. The presenters provided great information and resources. This was good both for newbies and veterans."

"This course was well worth the time and offered practical tips for mediating trust & estate disputes."

"Excellent seminar!"

"This was a great program with lots of good information. The video recordings will be great to watch again."

"I have been practicing law for over 27 years. This was by far the most collegial, helpful seminars with practical guidance. I am very excited to be going down this path to learn a new skill and could not think of a better place to start than this course."

"Jim, Clare, Colin, and Bruce all were excellent hosts and teachers. All of the other presenters were excellent as well."

"The materials to guide our sessions were clear and helpful, and the resources provided to us were amazing. I will continue to subscribe to Mediate.com as long as I am handling mediations."

" The sessions were very interactive, questions were answered promptly in real time, and breakout rooms for simulations and practicing skills were helpful as well."

Instructor(s)

James Melamed

Jim Melamed co-founded Mediate.com in 1996 and served as CEO of Mediate.com until 2020. Before Mediate.com, Jim founded The Mediation Center in Eugene, Oregon in 1983 and served as Executive Director of the Academy of Family Mediators (AFM) from 1987 to 1993.

Clare Fowler

Dr. Clare Fowler is Executive Vice-President and Managing Editor at Mediate.com, as well as a mediator and trainer. Clare received her Master's of Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law and her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, focused on reducing workplace conflicts, from Pepperdine University School of Education. Clare also coordinated the career development program for The Straus Institute dispute resolution students. In 2023, Clare published Rising Above Office Conflict: The Light-Hearted Guide for the Heavy-Hearted Employee.

Bruce Ross

Preeminent in the realm of trust, estate and conservatorship disputes, Bruce S. Ross provides mediation and arbitration services that are strengthened by his decades of experience as a trial lawyer. He has more than 45 years of experience with high-value fiduciary litigation and the resolution of estate, trust, protective and financial elder abuse proceedings and disputes. Bruce is ranked by Chambers High Net Worth 2017 in its highest tier, Band 1 in Private Wealth Disputes, across the United States of America.

Instructor(s)

Colin Rule

Colin Rule is President and CEO of Mediate.com and Arbitrate.com. In 2011 Colin co-founded Modria.com, an Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) provider based in Silicon Valley, which was acquired by Tyler Technologies in 2017. From 2017 to 2020 Colin served as Vice President of ODR at Tyler. From 2003 to 2011 Colin was Director of Online Dispute Resolution for eBay and PayPal. He has worked in the dispute resolution field for more than 25 years as a mediator, trainer, and consultant.