Join the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section as we celebrate Conflict Resolution Day on Thursday, Oct. 18, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Harvard Law School, Austin Hall, in Cambridge. This is one of four events planned as part of the MBA DR Section’s celebration of Conflict Resolution Week.

During this reception, the MBA will honor the memory and legacy of Frank Sander, a luminary in the field of conflict resolution, by bestowing its inaugural MBA Professor Frank E.A. Sander Award in Dispute Resolution to David A. Hoffman, the founding member of Boston Law Collaborative LLC. Hoffman has dedicated decades to studying, advocating, practicing, educating, writing, articulating and evolving dispute resolution. A teacher and peacemaker, Hoffman models DR skills and behaviors for the improvement of the field and the benefit of humanity.

Special guest Robert Mnookin, a leading scholar in the field of conflict resolution, will provide an inside look at dispute resolution today, during a Q&A session. Mnookin is the Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, the chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and the director of the Harvard Negotiation Research Project.

In addition, Gov. Charlie Baker’s proclamation recognizing Oct. 18 as Dispute Resolution Day in Massachusetts will be presented at the reception.

Event sponsors include:

• Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation
• Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council
• New England Association for Conflict Resolution  

This event is open to the public, lawyers, DR professionals, members of the MBA and other bar associations, law students and those interested in attending.

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Additional Conflict Resolution Week Events

Monday, Oct. 15

Mediation on Trial: Putting Mediation and Conciliation on Trial
10 a.m.-noon
Worcester County Law Library, 184 Main St., Worcester
RSVP here.

Join us for a mock hearing in which the process of mediation is the subject of the argument. Appearing before a judge, two attorneys will debate the benefits and flaws in mediation and conciliation. Panelists will act out the roles of the judge, attorneys, husband, wife, conciliator and mediator in a family law matter.

Worcester/Central Mass. Court-Connected Dispute Resolution Programs
12:45-2 p.m.
Worcester County Law Library, 184 Main St., Worcester
RSVP here.

Join us as we celebrate Conflict Resolution Week by presenting, honoring and acknowledging the work of the court-approved conciliation/mediation programs in the Worcester/Central Massachusetts area.

Tuesday, Oct. 16

Walking the Tightrope: Accountability and Reconciliation in the #MeToo Era
4:30-6:30 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
RSVP here.

In the turbulent wake of #MeToo, how do we move from shaming to accountability and reconciliation? Have we slapped a one-size-fits-all label on rapists, gropers, would-be seducers, and office bullies? Panelists — lawyers, mediators, a university ombudsperson, and journalists — will discuss how communities of interest may begin to heal from the assault of bullying or a culture of sexual harassment. What is the road to reconciliation?