This is a SPRING semester clinic with a fall semester seminar pre-requisite.

This clinic provides students with intensive experience as a neutral mediator in civil, non-family matters. Students serve in the role of neutral mediator in real legal disputes, including civil small claims cases in Baltimore City District Court and employment and housing discrimination cases referred from the Baltimore City Office of Equity and Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Students receive training in conflict resolution and communication skills and complete an apprentice process before sitting in the mediator’s chair. Students first observe faculty mediate two cases (which may occur during the fall seminar), then co-mediate two cases with faculty, and then advance to full practicing mediator status, co-mediating with peers under faculty supervision. Students receive feedback after each mediation they conduct. Students submit weekly reflection journals and are responsible for managing weekly pre-trial mediation cases. Students will be evaluated based on a combination of demonstrated educational responsibility, professional responsibility, case management and mediation proficiency, and self-evaluation and reflection.

The four clinic credits require students to dedicate approximately 12-15 hours per week, which includes preparing and engaging actively in the weekly class seminar, managing a docket of pre-trial mediation cases, and mediating cases at court and in the clinical law office (at various dates/times convenient for the parties). To allow for both weekly class and mediation coverage, students will need to be available on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Although there are set times for seminar and some mediations, students will need to have availability to schedule and conduct mediations and project work during traditional work hours at other times throughout the week.

Students in the Mediation Clinic will be required to:

Students should contact Professor Toby Guerin at tguerin@law.umaryland.edu with any questions.

All students enrolled in spring clinic will be required to attend in-person clinic orientation on Friday, January 10, 2024, in addition to any clinic-specific orientation that the professor may schedule.

P: In the Fall: Enroll in the Mediation Theory and Practice Seminar (3 credits). Students that are on the admit list for spring Mediation Clinic will be automatically enrolled in the fall Mediation Theory and Practice Seminar. The fall Mediation Theory and Practice Seminar will meet on Tuesday (1:05-2:00) and Thursday (1:05-3:05). Please confirm class times in the course catalog.