The Mediation Clinic allows students to develop and use mediation skills through regular and frequent practice with actual parties under the supervision of Professor Dowling and experienced mediators in the Superior Court. The clinic provides the students with hands on experience with real litigants in a variety of different cases.
While working in the Mediation Clinic, students have an opportunity to mediate many different types of cases, such as:
- Civil Harassment Restraining Orders
- Debt Collections
- Unlawful Detainer
- Small Claims Trial De Novo
- Limited Civil
The mediation clinic helped design and implement the Mandatory Settlement Conferences for debt collection cases along with the workshop to help inform the parties of their option for settlement. Additionally, students have the opportunity to interact with practicing attorneys, judges and other court officers so they have an understanding of what goes on in court before they graduate from law school. In addition to mediating cases, students are able to observe real cases that either didn't settle in mediation or were not appropriate to be sent out to mediation.
Pre-Requisites: To participate in the mediation clinic the students must have completed the Mediation course, or an equivalent training course and be in good academic standing with the law school. This ensures that the students meet the requirements under the Dispute Resolution Programs Act to mediate in court.
Requirements: During the semester the students must complete at least 24 mediations and commit to at least 2 mornings a week in court. This includes 3 mediations where the student observes the mediation process and 3 co-mediations with an experienced mediator.
Advanced Clinic: After completing one semester in the mediation clinic, students have the opportunity to participate in the Advanced Mediation Clinic and continue to build upon the skills they learned in the clinic. The advanced students also have the opportunity to mentor the incoming clinic students.
For more information, please feel free to contact:
Director: David Dowling, Associate Clinical Professor
Email: ddowling@chapman.edu
