3-Day Commercial Mediation Training – Fall 2021

This three-day Commercial Mediation Training is approved under Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge. Please note: 

• Final placement on any court roster is at the discretion of the local Administrative Judge; 
• Participation in a course does not guarantee placement on a local court roster; 
• Some courts may require additional training and experience beyond Part 146’s requirements; 
• Acceptance on court rosters may depend on a court’s need for mediators at any given time and may include a particular court’s need for mediators with specific case-type training or experience.  

Please note: This program regularly sells out. We encourage early registration.

Dispute Resolution Section Members and Fordham Alumni: $745; NYSBA Members: $795; Non-Members: $895

For over 20 years, Simeon H. Baum and Stephen A. Hochman have delivered this three-day training designed for mediators on New York State Court’s Commercial Division ADR panel. This training is approved under Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge. Together with their Advanced Commercial Mediation training that will be presented through NYSBA's Dispute Resolution Section November 3 and 4, these programs provide the five (5) days of training required for service on the Commercial Division ADR roster.

Participants in this interactive, Zoom-based training will engage in a thorough examination of mediation principles and techniques. With a dynamic blend of PowerPoint, plenary group discussion, and exercises and role-plays in breakout rooms, attendees gain direct experience of the structure of a typical mediation, reflect on ethical issues that may rise in mediation, and explore solutions for generating movement and overcoming impasse. Participants will grapple with the tension between facilitative and evaluative or directive approaches in mediation, both from a practical and from an ethical perspective, and will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these styles.

Program Presenters:

Simeon H. Baum, Esq.

Mr. Baum is a 30+ year litigator and President of Resolve Mediation Services, Inc. (www.mediators.com); serving as a mediator, arbitrator, and neutral evaluator in nearly 2,000 disputes since 1992. His mediations include the highly publicized Studio Daniel Libeskind-Silverstein Properties dispute over architectural fees for redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and Trump’s $ 1 billion suit over the West Side Hudson River development. He served as founding Chair of NYSBA’s Dispute Resolution Section. He was Chair of the Federal Bar Association's ADR Section, past president of the FBA's SDNY Chapter, and on the FBA's national Board of Directors. He has served on ADR Advisory Groups to the New York Court system and trained their Commercial Division mediators for the last 20 years. In 2011, 2014, 2018, and 2020, Best Lawyers selected Mr. Baum as New York’s ADR “Lawyer of the Year.” He teaches on the ADR faculty at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and is a frequent speaker and trainer on ADR.

Stephen A. Hochman, Esq.

Mr. Hochman, a founding partner in the firm now known as Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, practiced law for over 40 years, specializing in corporate, commercial, and securities law. He has successfully mediated over 450 commercial and other types of disputes, including class actions and financial, employment, insurance, real estate, partnership, and bankruptcy disputes, approximately 98% of which have settled. Mr. Hochman now practices exclusively as a mediator and arbitrator and writes, consults, and lectures frequently on ADR subjects. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Hochman, together with Mr. Baum, has trained the mediators in New York County and various other downstate counties. He also served on the boards and investment committees of various non-profit corporations, including several hospitals and a captive insurance company.

Don't miss out on the Advanced Commercial Mediation 2-day Training! Find more information here.

Co-sponsored by the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association, Fordham University School of Law, and the Fordham University ADR & Conflict Resolution Program. 

Topics & Skills Presented by: Simeon H. Baum, Esq., litigator, mediator & President, Resolve Mediation Services, Inc. (www.mediators.com) and Stephen A. Hochman, Esq., mediator & arbitrator

• Cultivating ideal Mediator orientation, attitude & awareness

• Effective Preparation

• Effective Communication

• Deep Listening Skills

• Effective Openings

• Maximizing Opportunities in Joint Session

• Wise Caucusing

• Power Risk Analysis – art, timing & tact in engaging in evaluative processes

• Impasse Breaking

• Coming to Closure

• Theoretical tools to Grasp the underlying Negotiation

• Mediation Ethics