Speaker to Discuss Courts’ Use of Arbitration and Mediation to Resolve Disputes

Carlisle, PA (September 2, 2005) — Donna Stienstra, a sociologist and senior researcher at the U.S. Federal Judicial Center will present “Emerging Issues in Federal Courts’ Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)” on Monday, September 12 at 7 p.m. in room 132 of the Penn State University’s Dickinson School of Law, 150 S. College Street, Carlisle. The event is open free of charge, and a reception will follow.

In her presentation, Stienstra will describe the development of ADR in the federal courts, with particular attention to variations across courts and the reasons for such variations. She will also address the recent recognition of the low trial rate in federal courts, the relationship between trials and ADR, and the issues that are emerging as ADR programs mature and the legal culture in which they were created changes. She will conclude by sharing her thoughts regarding the future of ADR in the federal courts.

Stienstra’s research and education efforts have focused on civil case management and ADR in the United States district and appellate courts, and, for the past several years, she has devoted much of her time to helping courts implement mediation procedures. Stienstra regularly consults with the U.S. federal courts in their efforts to provide alternative dispute resolution services and is currently directing a project to provide on-site consultation to assist federal district and bankruptcy courts in designing or enhancing their ADR procedures. She also has worked with state courts and with court systems in other countries, including the Netherlands, Palestine, Namibia, India, and Thailand.

Stienstra has published extensively on court-related subjects, including studies of appellate procedures, discovery practices, and ADR programs. Her book with Elizabeth Plapinger, ADR and Settlement in the Federal District Courts: A Sourcebook for Judges and Lawyers, remains the standard reference work on federal district court ADR programs. She has also co-authored, with Robert Niemic and Randall Ravitz, the Guide to Judicial Management of Cases in ADR, which provides guidance to judges in selecting and managing cases in ADR. Her most recent publication, the ADR Handbook for Judges, co-edited with Susan Yates, provides guidance for establishing mediation programs in a wide range of courts, including civil, probate, bankruptcy and criminal courts.

Stienstra has served as co-chair of the Court ADR Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section on Dispute Resolution and is on the Editorial Board of the Justice System Journal. Her presentation is being sponsored by the law school’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Society. For more information on the event, please contact Kelly Jones, Director of Marketing & Communications, (717) 240-5217.