2021 Judicial Conference Program

Basic Mediation Training for Judges, Magistrates, and Court Staff The ADR Committee, MACRO, and the District Court ADR Office will conduct a 40-hour basic mediation training for judges, magistrates, and court staff each year, alternating between court staff in odd years and judges and magistrates in even years. In December 2019, MACRO staff and District Court ADR staff provided a 40-hour basic mediation training for court staff. Circuit court administrators nominated employees to participate in the training; and in the District Court, the chief clerk invited administrative clerks and executive staff to attend. All 20 seats in the class were filled, and the training received very positive reviews. The 40-hour basic mediation training for judges that was scheduled for fall of 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Options for offering the training in 2021 are under consideration. Public Policy Conflict Resolution Fellows Program The Maryland Judiciary partners with the Center for Dispute Resolution at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law (C-DRUM) to bring together a diverse group of influential Maryland leaders to expand their negotiation, conflict resolution, and consensus- building skills. The Fellows Program aims to achieve more effective and sustainable solutions to Maryland’s critical public policy issues. The two-day program comprised leaders from the judicial, legislative, and executive branches; religious community; county and local government; business community; and, non- profits, included a new segment on challenges with public dialogue. Preparation for the 8th Public Policy Fellows program started in early 2019, and the two-day program was held November 14 and 15, 2019. Attendees included seven members of the Maryland Judiciary, the largest proportion of Judiciary members ever in one class. There were changes in the lead presenter and modifications to the curriculum for the first time in several years, and the feedback on the program was positive. Plans for the next Fellows Program, which would have occurred in the spring of 2021, have been pushed back due to Covid-19. Other ADR Trainings and Programs The ADR Committee staff, in conjunction with other Judiciary ADR office staff, presented trainings and workshops, bringing in nationally recognized trainers on topics such as mediator ethics, mental health and mediation, adult guardianship mediation, and the role of the new Parenting Plan Rule and tool in mediation. Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MACRO staff developed a series of webinars on online ADR, Navigating ADR Online. The Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence, a program of the Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), hosted programs throughout the year for ADR practitioner competency development. During the reporting period, offerings included Mediator Case Discussion Groups. Two experienced facilitators have worked with two separate cohorts of ADR practitioners through the year, moving to an online format since March 2020. In December 2019, an online three-part program on Mental Illness in Dispute Resolution was provided by nationally recognized practitioner Dan Bernstein. With the approval of the revised 2020 Standards of Conduct, effective January 1, 2020, the ADR Committee staff continues to provide training and workshops for ADR practitioners on the new standards; the trainings are now conducted on remote platforms. Programs through the Maryland Program for Mediation Excellence (MPME) on the revised 2020 Standards of Conduct were presented to Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center, Carroll County Circuit Court, Baltimore City Bar Association, ADR Section, and Montgomery County Bar Association, ADR Section. In addition, monthly calls throughout the year have featured guest speakers on a variety of topics, focusing on the new Standards of Conduct during the reporting period, including:

November 2019: M ediation Evaluation and Research , Nick White, MACRO, guest speaker January 2020: The New Standards of Conduct, an Introduction , Cynthia Jurrius, MACRO, guest speaker February 2020: The New Standards of Conduct, Self-Determination , Jay Knight, COSA ADR Office, guest speaker March 2020: The New Standards of Conduct, Impartiality ;

Thom McCloud, Prince George’s Community College, guest speaker

April 2020:

The New Standards of Conduct, Conflict of Interest , Alan Weiner, ABA ADR Section, guest speaker

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