Toledo Law Named a Top School for Practical Training in Alternative Dispute Resolution
by Diana Case | April 24, 2019
The University of Toledo College of Law was nationally ranked in preLaw magazine’s list of the top law schools for practical training in Alternative Dispute Resolution. We are one of only three Ohio law schools listed in this field.
Toledo Law's curricular offerings allow students to explore the field of dispute resolution by teaching students how to use negotiation, mediation, and arbitration to resolve disputes prior to and hopefully in place of litigation. Students learn about the advantages of utilizing these processes including time, cost savings, and increased client satisfaction.
The Dispute Resolution Clinic provides students with an unparalleled opportunity to develop the skills necessary for success in the practice of law while providing valuable conflict resolution services within our community and beyond. Students complete the training necessary to serve as mediators in a variety of matters including consumer complaints, landlord-tenant disputes, automobile accidents, personal injury, and criminal and juvenile matters. Through this experience, students gain practical experience in effective listening and communication skills, interviewing, counseling, negotiating and conflict resolution.
This year marks the 25th anniversary since the Dispute Resolution Clinic first opened its doors in 1994. In that time, Toledo Law students have mediated over 1,500 cases—providing more than 40,000 hours of mediation services to more than 3,000 members of our community.
"Our students leave the Dispute Resolution Clinic better prepared for actual practice," said Maara Fink, clinical professor of law and director of the Dispute Resolution Clinic. "The development of critical listening and communication skills, often overlooked in traditional legal education, ensures that our students enter the profession as better listeners, communicators, and negotiators—all essential to the successful practice of law."
Read the full article "Best Schools for Practical Training" in the Spring 2019 issue of preLaw magazine. The magazine is a National Jurist publication and leading news source in legal education. The magazine was founded in 1997 and is published four times a year. It is read by more than 45,000 prospective law students, as well as law professors and law school administrators.