Divorce Mediation Clinic/Divorce Mediation Clinic Seminar

Catalog description

Divorce mediation has become an accepted alternative to litigation in the resolution of the complex issues raised by family reorganization, and this course is designed to provide students individual mediation experience and practical insight into family law practice. While the clinic is ideal for those considering incorporating divorce mediation into their practice after graduation, it also provides useful practical experience for students interested in either ADR or family law. One day each week, students serve as mediators at the courthouse in matrimonial cases referred from the Supreme Court through a program of the Office of Court Administration. Students are responsible for mediating every aspect of divorce, including the couple's parenting arrangements, child support questions, asset division, spousal maintenance, grounds, and tax issues; students then draft settlement agreements and prepare and file the divorce papers. A two-hour seminar once each week focuses on issues of custody, support and equitable distribution, an analysis of mediation techniques and methods, a discussion of cases currently in the Clinic, and controversial topics in mediation, such as the limits of confidentiality, the appropriateness of mediating when domestic violence has occurred, and ethical questions concerning conflicts of interest in drafting legal documents. Students must be available for a four-hour block of time for mediation over Zoom one day each week, and for the weekly seminar at the Law School. Prerequisite(s): LAW 7711 .