Robert A. Baruch Bush

Professor Bush's primary scholarly and teaching interests are in the areas of mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). He is one of the originators of the transformative approach to mediation, as explained in his best-selling book, The Promise of Mediation (1994, 2d ed. 2005), which has been called one of the most influential works on mediation in the last decade. He has practiced, taught and written about mediation for nearly 30 years, authoring over two dozen books, articles and chapters on mediation and ADR; and he is regularly featured as a lecturer and trainer at conferences, seminars and workshops around the world. Professor Bush is a Founding Fellow and President of the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, Inc., at Hofstra Law School. The Institute is a nonprofit research center devoted to furthering the understanding and practice of mediation and related processes.

Over the past two decades, Professor Bush has directed several major research projects on mediation, and he has served as consultant on dispute resolution to state court and school systems and to the Hewlett Foundation's Conflict Theory Center Program. He led a team that helped the United States Postal Service design a nationwide program for mediating workplace conflicts.

At Hofstra, Professor Bush teaches several courses on mediation and ADR, including a survey course on ADR, seminars on mediation and negotiation, and a skills course in mediation practice. He also regularly teaches the first-year course in Torts. He is a graduate of Stanford Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif, and of Harvard University, from which he graduated magna cum laude and where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He also worked as a Research Fellow at the Center for Comparative Judicial Studies in Florence, Italy, and at Yale Law School.

Curriculum Vitae

Publications

'Reclaiming Mediation's Future: Refocusing on Party Self-Determination' (with Joseph P. Folger), 17 Cardozo j. conf. resol. __ (forthcoming, 2015).

'Transformative Mediation: Preserving the Unique Potential of Mediation' (with Joseph P. Folger), __ Konlfictdynamik ('conflict dynamics') ___ (forthcoming 2015)

'Transformative Mediation: A Self-Assessment' (with Joseph P. Folger), 2 International Journal Of Conflict Engagement And Resol. 20 (2014).

'Mediation Skills and Client-Centered Lawyering: A New View of the Partnership,' 19 Clinical L. Rev. 429 (2013).

'Response to Condlin's Critique of Transformative Mediation' (with Joseph P. Folger), 15 Cardozo j. conf. resol. 231 (2013).

'Mediation and Social Justice: Risks and Opportunities' (with Joseph P. Folger), 27 Ohio State J. on Dispute Resol. 1 (2012).

Transformative Mediation: A Sourcebook -- Resources For Conflict Intervention Practitioners And Programs, co-ed. with J. Folger and D. Della Noce (N.Y.: Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Association for Conflict Resolution, 2010). [author/co-author of six chapters in volume.]

'Supporting Family Strength: The Use of Transformative Mediation in a PINS Mediation Clinic,' with L. Hershman, R. Thaler and C. Vitkovich, 47 Fam. Ct. Rev. 148 (2009).

'Staying in Orbit or Breaking Free: The Relationship of Mediation to the Courts Over Four Decades,' 84 N. D. L.Rev. 705 (2008)

'Signposts and Crossroads: A Model for Live Action Mediator Assessment,' with D. Della Noce, J. Antes and J. Saul, 23 Ohio State J. On Dispute Resol. 197 (2008).

'Barriers to Participation: Challenges Faced by Members of Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups in Entering, Remaining, and Advancing in the ADR Field,' with M.Volpe et al., 34 Fordham Urban Law Journal 119 (2007).

The Promise Of Mediation: The Transformative Approach To Conflict, 2d Revised Edition, with Joseph P. Folger (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2005). [Translated into Russian, Italian, Swedish, German, Arabic, forthcoming in Spanish.]

'The Knowledge Gaps Study: Unfinished Work, Open Questions,' with Lisa Blomgren Bingham, 23 Conflict Res. Q. 99 (2005).

'Resolving Conflicts: The Rabbi as Mediator,' in Y. Levitz & A. J. Twerski eds. Perspectives In Rabbinic Counseling (NY: Feldheim, 2005).

'One Size Does Not Fit All: A Pluralistic Approach to Mediator Performance Testing and Quality Assurance,' 19 Ohio State J. On Dispute Res. 965 (2004).

'Transformative Mediation: Changing the Quality of Family Conflict Interaction,' with Sally G. Pope, in Mediating Family And Divorce Disputes, J. Folberg, A. Milne & P. Salem eds. (N.Y.: Guilford Press, 2004).

'Changing the Quality of Conflict Interaction: The Principles and Practice of Transformative Mediation,' with Sally G. Pope, 3 Pepperdine Dispute Res. L. J. 67 (2002).

'Substituting Mediation for Arbitration: the Growing Market for Evaluative Mediation, and What it Means for the ADR Field,' 3 Pepperdine Dispute Res. L.J. 111 (2002).

'Mediation and ADR: Insights from the Jewish Tradition,' 28 Fordham Urban L. J. 1007 (2001).

'Handling Workplace Conflict: Why Transformative Mediation,' 18 Hofstra Lab. & Employment L. J. 367 (2001).

Designing Mediation: Approaches To Training And Practice Within A Transformative Framework, co-ed. with Joseph P. Folger (N.Y.: Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, 2001).

'Understanding Conflict and Human Capacity: the Role of Premises in Mediation Training,' with Sally G. Pope, 38 Fam. & Concil. Courts Rev. 41 (2000).

'Transformative Mediation and Third Party Intervention: Ten Hallmarks of a Transformative Practitioner,' with Joseph P. Folger. 13 Mediation Quarterly 263 (1996) [Lead article for Special Issue]

'What Do We Need a Mediator For': Mediation's Value-Added for Negotiators,' 12 Ohio State J. On Dispute Resolution 1 (1996).

'Chapter 14: Ethical Dilemmas,' in Mediating Legal Disputes, D. Golann ed. (Boston: Little Brown, 1996).

'Alternative Futures: Imagining How ADR May Affect the Court System in Coming Decades," 15 Rev. Of Litigation 455 (1996).

'The Unexplored Possibilities of Community Mediation: A Comment on Merry and Milner, ' 20 Law & Social Inquiry 801 (1996).

'Dispute Resolution--The Domestic Arena: Methods, Applications and Critical Issues,' in Beyond Confrontation (J. Vasquez, J. Johnson, & L. Stamato eds., Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press, 1994).

The Dilemmas Of Mediation Practice: A Study Of Ethical Dilemmas And Policy Implications (Washington, D. C.: National Institute for Dispute Resolution, 1992) [Republished in "Symposium: The Dilemmas of Mediation Practice." 1994 J. Dispute Resolution 1.]

'Mediation and Adjudication, Dispute Resolution and Ideology: An Imaginary Conversation,' 3 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 1 (1989-90).

'Efficiency and Protection, or Empowerment and Recognition': The Mediator's Role and Ethical Standards in Mediation,' 41 U. Fla. L. Rev. 253 (1989).

'Defining Quality in Dispute Resolution: Taxonomies and Anti-Taxonomies of Quality Arguments,' 66 Den. U. L. Rev. 335 (1989).

'Dispute Resolution Alternatives and the Goals of Civil Justice: Jurisdictional Principles for Process Choice,' 1984 Wis. L. Rev. 893 (1984).