UWWM mediator Jeffrey M. Fleming, CEO and Principal John Upchurch and Principal Kimberly Sands, center, attend a semester-opening meeting with the University of Florida’s ADR Team.
Outgoing University of Florida Law Dean Bob Jerry asked us recently to sponsor the law school’s ADR Team, a modern sister to the traditional Trial Team that has been around for many years. We enthusiastically accepted, and mediators Kim Sands, Jeff Fleming and I visited with the team at their organizational meeting at the law school recently (Sept. 17, 2014). We were greeted by the team's faculty adviser, Jill Womble, and the team's president, Nick Alberto, together with about 25 team members, all of whom we are eager to mentor in the coming months.
The ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) team competes in about five intercollegiate competitions annually. Closely coordinated with the American Bar Association, many of these meets take place in conjunction with the national convention as well as Section meetings throughout the year. UF will host an intercollegiate meet in February, and our firm members will be very active in a coaching and mentoring role as that approaches. For us, this is a fulfilling opportunity for participation and service to the college and its students.
UWWM mediators have stepped up to the plate with a robust response to a call for volunteers to staff this activity from our end. Our rich depository of
Webinars,
PowerPoint presentations and videos on our
YouTube channel will serve as a team resource, and we plan to make ourselves available as necessary to assist in a variety of roles. This will be fun!
