3-Day Commercial Mediation Training – Spring 2026

This program is currently sold out. We do have a waitlist available; please register, and we will contact you if there is a cancellation.

https://youtu.be/r7cX33L7HAA

This program sells out. We encourage early registration. 

For over 25 years, Simeon H. Baum has 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 the 2-Day Advanced Commercial Mediation training that will be presented through NYSBA's Dispute Resolution Section later in the year, these programs provide the five (5) days of training required for service on the Commercial Division ADR roster. To register for the follow-up 2-Day Advanced Commercial Mediation Training, please click here.

This training – as in the past – has reserved a number of complimentary spots for judicial and non-judicial Court staff. 

Participants in this interactive training will engage in a thorough examination of mediation principles and techniques. With a dynamic blend of PowerPoints, plenary group discussion, and exercises and role-plays, 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 Presenter:

SIMEON H. BAUM, ESQ.: Mr. Baum has practiced law in New York City for over 40 years as a commercial and general civil litigator, and has served as a neutral since the early 1990s. He is a principal of the firm of Simeon H. Baum, Esq., and President of Resolve Mediation Services, Inc. (www.mediators.com). He was the founding Chair of the New York State Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Section, and has conducted over 2,000 mediations, including numerous commercial disputes. Mr. Baum has taught, lectured, and written extensively on ADR, including teaching "Fundamentals of ADR" at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Development, and negotiation, mediation, and processes of dispute resolution at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He was selected as "Lawyer of the Year" for ADR in New York by Best Lawyers for 2011, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2026. 

Topics & Skills:

• 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

• Attorney & Party Roles in Mediation

Please note:

Final placement on any court roster is at the discretion of the local Administrative Judge. 

Some courts may require additional training and experience beyond Part 146’s requirements. 

Acceptance on court rosters may also 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.