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2023 Advanced Mediation Conference: Practical Skills for Experience Employment Litigators
December 5, 2023 All day
Teaching attorneys to achieve better results in mediation.
Orrick, 405 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
You’re invited to the 2023 Advanced Mediation Conference on December 5, 2023 in San Francisco!
Earn up to 6.5 Hours MCLE!

Schedule
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. | Mediation: Mixed Motives and Mixed Signals
MCLE: 0.25 hour
People often ask what’s happening in the other room during mediation. Equally if not more important, what’s happening in our own room? Are we acting in ways that decrease the odds of settling and decrease our clients’ satisfaction with the process itself and with any possible settlement? What can we do in our own rooms to improve the process, our clients’ experience, and our end-of-the-day results?
Speaker:
- Steve Pearl
9:20 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. | Competition and Cooperation
MCLE: 1.0 Hour
Every party in mediation has conflicting goals. On the one hand, she wants to resolve the case, which requires cooperating with the other side. On the other hand, she wants to get as much as possible (or give as little as possible), which is inherently competitive. Balancing these conflicting interests can be difficult. Are there optimal strategies? What are they?
Speakers:
- Steve Pearl
- Peter Rukin
- Andrew Livingston
- Emily Nugent
10:25 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. | Convening: The First Yes
MCLE: 1.0 Hour
The parties’ agreement to mediate is the first in a series of agreements that most often leads to resolution. This has been called the “Cascade of Yeses.” What issues prevent parties from suggesting or agreeing to mediation? What opportunities arise for “integrative bargaining,” or creating value for both sides?
Speakers:
- Kathryn Dickson
- Christine Masters
- Jocelyn Burton
- Jason Geller
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Preparing for Mediation
MCLE: 1.0 Hour
Preparing for mediation means more than just writing a good brief. Lawyers should evaluate their clients’ issues, imperatives, and concerns; examine the best, worst, and most likely alternatives to a negotiated agreement; set their reference points (“top dollar,” “bottom line,” and other conditions of satisfaction); and discuss these issues with their clients, all in advance of mediation.
Speakers:
- Eleanor Barr
- Angela Reddock-Wright
- Peter Rukin
- Hunter Pyle
- Lindbergh Porter
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Opening Demands and Offers
MCLE: 0.75 Hour
How should attorneys handle their opening communications with the mediator and the other side? How should the plaintiff handle the opening demand? Is there an optimal range for the demand in a given case? How should the defendant handle the demand and its opening offer?
Speakers:
- Michael Loeb
- Christine Masters
- Peter Rukin
- Andrew Livingston
- Emily Nugent
2:20 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. | Doing the Dance and Cutting to the Chase
MCLE: 1.5 Hour
Most mediations pivot from discussions of the facts and the law to what often feels like simple horse trading. Is there an optimal time to make the pivot? Once the parties are doing the dance, are there typical or optimal negotiation patterns? How do you know how far to move and what messages to send with each move? How should parties deal with impasse, and when is it just best to cut to the chase?
Speakers:
- Eleanor Barr
- Steve Pearl
- Angela Reddock-Wright
- Hunter Pyle
- Lindbergh Porter
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Closing the Deal
MCLE: 1.0 Hour
The parties have done the dance and are approaching their final positions (or perhaps beyond what they thought were their final positions when they started the day). What can the lawyers do to help close the deal?
Speakers:
- Kathryn Dickson
- Michael Loeb
- Jocelyn Burton
- Jason Geller
Registration Information
Early Bird Rates – Now through November 28
- $225 for Labor and Employment Law Section Members
- $275 for Non-Section Members and All Other Non-Members
- $95 for New Lawyers Section Members
- $95 for Law Students
Regular Rates – November 29 through December 5
- $275 for Labor and Employment Law Section Members
- $325 for Non-Section Members and All Other Non-Members
- $95 for New Lawyers Section Members
- $95 for Law Students
Registration Deadline: The deadline to pre-register is December 1, 2023.
Cancellations/Refunds: Cancellations and requests for refunds must be received in writing no later than November 28, 2023 and are subject to a $25 service fee. Refunds will not be available after December 1, 2023
Special Assistance: For special assistance, please call 916-516-1748.
Questions: For registration information, call (916) 516-1757. For program content and/or Section information call 916-516-1748.
This event may be recorded. By attending this event, you consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded, and to any use, by the CLA, of your likeness, voice, and name in any and all media including social media. If you do not want your name or photo to be used, please let us know in advance. We cannot, however, honor requests to opt out of the use of your image or voice if you choose to ask a question during one of the event sessions.
We are committed to accessibility! Virtual events are equipped with closed captioning. To request an in-person accommodation, send us a note at accessibility@calawyers.org or contact us at 916-516-1760 for assistance.