Professor Yishai Boyarin, Attorney-in-Charge
Maximum Enrollment: 8 Students
Students in the Mediation Clinic serve as mediators in disputes between parents and children that come to the attention of the juvenile justice system. Student mediators help parties in conflict negotiate and make decisions about the conflict’s outcome. Students complete an intensive mediation training program with a NYS Court Certified Mediation Trainer. The mediations take place either at the clinic offices or on-site at a referring court or agency. Students in the clinic will be exposed to an interdisciplinary approach to practice, in which law students work side by side with social workers to help families in crisis. Under the clinical instructor’s supervision, students will: interview parties to a dispute and advise them about the mediation process, mediate cases in two student teams and draft settlement agreements. The mission of the Mediation Clinic is not only to train students to be professional mediators, but also to teach them fundamental lawyering skills, such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation and effective problem-solving, all of which are essential to every attorney’s work.
