Every month, mediators span out between four counties to assist the local Magistrate Courts: Preston, Marion, Monongalia, and Harrison. Typically, a group of mediators will take one specific county and remain with it throughout the year. Some groups make an evening of it and go out to eat afterward, rehashing problems and successes. Our student mediators help the courts manage caseloads while picking up useful law skills. Plus, we have a good time doing it.
In January, the West Virginia State Bar sponsored mediation training at the College of Law. The daylong event brought attorney and court volunteers together with student mediators to train approximately sixty-five students, alumni, and attorneys who may now assist local Magistrate Courts. WVU’s Culinary Creations and Qdoba catered the event.
We occasionally host speakers on ADR topics. Last November, the Honorable Michael Aloi, Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit, Marion County, visited and spoke on perspectives in mediation. In March, Anita Casey, West Virginia State Bar Executive Director, will join us to speak on why mediation is important and how attorneys can become involved in mediation at various levels.
We’re also excited to have our first competition coming up. The ADR Society is sending two teams to Williamsburg, Virginia, in March to face off against law schools from Virginia, Florida, and Tennessee in the ABA’s Representation in Mediation Competition. We’re looking forward to the challenge.
For more information about us, visit our blog at http://wvu-adr.blogspot.com/. You can also find us in WVU College of Law’s student life section:
http://law.wvu.edu/student_life/student_organizations/alternative_dispute_resolution_adr_society
