On December 11, LSW founding partner John Siffert will chair a panel of distinguished experts discussing practical guidance for navigating court-ordered mediation.  

Mediation requires a shift from adversarial advocacy to strategic problem-solving. As courts increasingly turn to mediation to manage growing caseloads, understanding the distinct dynamics of court-administered processes is essential.

Panelists will explore best practices for advancing clients’ interests within the unique framework of court-ordered mediation—including confidentiality concerns, ethical duties, and effective collaboration with opposing counsel and mediators. The program will also highlight common pitfalls that can derail mediation and offer actionable “do’s and don’ts” to maximize success. 

Topics will include

• Goals of Mediation & Litigators’ Mindset Shift

 

• Court-Administered Mediation: Process, Expectations & Ethics

 

• Domestic & International Court-Mandated Mediation

 

• Litigators’ Techniques to Advance Client Interests

 

• Maximizing Case Resolution Success

 

• Client Perspective: Mediation vs. Trial “Victory”

 

• The Takeaway/Elevator Speech

 

The panelists are:

 

• Dean Leslie, Circuit Mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit and Adjunct Professor at New York Law School

 

• Myrna Barakat Friedman, Commercial Arbitrator and Mediator and President and Founding Member of the Association of Commercial and Transactional ADR Professionals (ACT-ADR)

 

• Robert Davidson, Executive Director of JAMS’s Arbitration Practice

 

• Susan E. Salazar, Assistant Professor at CUNY School of Law, Director of CUNY School of Law Mediation Clinic, and chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the New York City Bar Association

 

• Sara E. Moss, Trustee of NYU Law School and former Vice Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies.

 

John has an active practice in alternative dispute resolution. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), a CIArb Accredited Mediator, and has been named to the National Roster of Commercial Arbitrators and the National Roster of Mediators of the American Arbitration Association. 

The webinar is hosted by the New York City Bar Association, which will provide Continuing Legal Education Credits to participants.

Please click here to register for the webinar.