New Dispute Resolution Chair Focuses on Collaboration To Strengthen Relationships and Build Community
7.17.2026
The new chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section, Loretta Gastwirth, is focusing on collaboration with other sections to broaden professional development and strengthen relationships for the section’s nearly 2,000 members.
“The many section members who are arbitrators and mediators touch on so many disciplines – from employment to construction to commercial matters. We overlap with a lot of sections, and I love President Taa Gray’s idea that we need to be more collaborative in our events,” Gastwirth said.
One example of the section’s collaboration is prior event programs with NYSBA Commercial and Federal Litigation and also Labor and Employment Sections. Two additional sections will be co-sponsoring the Fall Program this year scheduled for September 24, 2026, Dispute Resolution – The Evolving Landscape. The program will include topics such as Evidentiary Hearings Through the Lens of Arbitrators, Civil Collaborative Law, Neurodiversity in the ADR Room, and When Neutrals Get Hacked: Cybersecurity and Ethical Obligations for Neutrals.
“I believe that mediation, arbitration, negotiation, and collaborative problem-solving are essential not only to the practice of law, but also to strengthening relationships, institutions, and communities,” she said. “Effective dispute resolution fosters understanding, reduces unnecessary confrontation, and creates durable solutions.”
Gastwirth recently transitioned from her decades long career as a litigation partner at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone to focus exclusively on her practice as an arbitrator and mediator. The move gives her perspective on the needs of ADR practitioner section members who are in firms or on their own. She plans to continue the section’s partnerships with the American Arbitration Association, JAMS and other dispute resolution providers to offer programs and networking opportunities to members. Gastwirth is also committed to the professional development of members by continuing the section’s successful mediation training program and student mediation tournament that attracts law school teams from across the country.
Understanding the Consequences of Conflict and the Power of Empathy
Gastwirth has a deep personal connection to her work in the resolution of conflict. In her upcoming chair’s message in Dispute Resolution Lawyer, the section’s publication, Gastwirth shares how her parent’s struggle to survive the Holocaust impacted her life and how she approaches her career.
“Dispute resolution has always represented far more to me than a professional focus. As the child of Holocaust survivors – the only remaining members of their families who rebuilt their lives in this country after unimaginable loss – I grew up understanding the profound consequences of conflict, division, subjugation, removal of basic rights, prejudice, bigotry, hatred and the loss of human dignity. I also learned the enduring importance of dignity, resilience, empathy, tolerance, justice, and the rule of law. My parents’ experiences instilled in me a deep belief in the power of dialogue and the importance of pursuing peaceful and constructive paths forward, even in the most difficult circumstances,” she said.
Taking on the leadership of the section, Gastwirth is quick to offer praise to her predecessor, immediate past chair William Crosby, and past section chair and colleague Ross Kartez who introduced her to the section and supported her leadership development.
“At a time when respectful dialogue often feels increasingly difficult, the work we do matters more than ever. It matters to parties, to institutions, and to public confidence in the legal system. I am excited about what we can accomplish together and deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve this remarkable section,” Gastwirth said.
