THIS WEEK IN MEDIATION – MEDIATE.COM’S 31st YEAR! –
June 17, 2026 – #1,143
Can Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Change the World? (video and review)
Video by Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis; Review by Dan Glover
Can Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) change the world? That’s the question Mac Pierre-Louis, J.D., M.Ed. asks us to consider in his new documentary of the same name. Pierre-Louis travels the globe, visiting and speaking with mediators, then takes us back to the foundations of modern online mediation in the US. There were names and stories I thought I knew: Colin Rule, Ethan Katsh, Janet Rifkin, and the work at UMass Amherst. What I didn’t realize was how much of the modern world that we take for granted has already changed due to ODR.
Colin Rule Documentary Interview (video)
with Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis
This is the video recording of Colin Rule, CEO of Mediate.com and ODR.com, for the “Can ODR Change the World Documentary” developed by Mac Pierre-Louis. This recording is from the first-of-its-kind documentary film on the history and development of online dispute resolution (ODR). Learn more at LMIPodcast.com/film/odr.
Guidance for AI Usage – from the ODR Forum 2026 (video)
with Daniel Rainey and Leah Wing
This session from the 2026 Global ODR Forum is entited “Applying ODR Standards: Guidance for AI Usage for Human Third Parties” with speakers Leah Wing, Executive Director, National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution; and Daniel Rainey, Principal, Holistic Solutions, and Emeritus Chair of ICODR.org.
Dive into AI (2025) is a powerful seven-hour video training series at Mediate University focused on integrating AI into every stage of the mediation process — from intake and scheduling to invoicing, communication, and document management. The price is only $100, with a 20% discount for Mediate Members.
Further, Mediate’s new Dive into AI 2026 Consultation Group now meets bi-monthly (free for Mediate Members!), with our next meeting set for Wednesday, August 5, at 9:00 am Pacific, noon Eastern. Newly Available 2026 Deep Dive videos include: (1) June 3 Presentations by Bob Bergman and John Lande on the Anomalyzer Platform and RPS AI Coach; and (2) the April 14 Presentations by Clare Fowler and Colin Rule reviewing AI Developments at Mediate.com. Register for the Dive into AI 2026 Consultation Group: Here.
What Are We Learning About the Effects of AI in Mediation – 3 Tips for Protecting Our Parties (video)
with Dr. Clare Fowler
Dr. Clare Fowler, Exec VP at ODR.com and Mediate.com, here presents on: “What Are We Learning About the Effects of AI in Mediation: 3 Tips for Protecting Our Parties.” As we begin to use AI in mediation, what are the effects of AI on our parties? On our mental health? How can AI help us navigate conflict? This session focuses on our mental health in mediation and how AI can harm and help.
Anonymizing Case Data for Safe AI Use
By Colin Rule
During our June 3, 2026 “Dive Into AI” (see video) consultation group, ODR innovator Bob Bergman showed off his amazing new Personal Information Anomalyzer Platform (See: https://www.piianomalyzer.ai). Bob’s software detects, anonymizes, and redacts PII (personally identifiable information) entirely on your machine, not online nor in the cloud. This ensures that mediators are fully protecting the confidentiality of mediation participants. You owe it to yourself to check out the PII Anomalyzer!
Integrating AI into Family Mediation – New 2 Hour Video Now Available!
with Jim Melamed
This video and slide presentation is from Jim’s May 6, 2026 2-hour workshop “A Brave New World: Integrating AI into Family Mediation” presented to the Massachusetts Council for Family Mediation (MCFM). See the sample video and order here. Introductory price of only $49, plus Mediate Members save 20%. Also see Jim’s new Agreement to Mediate That Incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use.
Welcoming Morgan (Mo) Tregenza and the Common Ground Podcast!
with Colin Rule and Morgan Tregenza
In this special episode, new host Morgan Tregenza sits down with outgoing host and ODR pioneer Colin Rule for a candid conversation about the state of dispute resolution — and why now is the time to reclaim its soul.
Common Ground Podcast: From Litigator to AI Mediator: Rethinking How Disputes Get Resolved with Renee Jackson
hosted by Morgan Tregenza
What happens when a self-described non-entrepreneur sets out to build an AI mediator? Host Morgan “Mo” Tregenza talks with Renee Jackson, founder of Dyspute.ai and creator of the AI mediator “Adri,” about her path from litigation to legal tech and why she flipped traditional mediation on its head.
FINAL 2 WEEKS! SAVE 25% on Mediate’s Statewide Banners and Expand the Geography of Your Online Mediation Practice to be Statewide! When a visitor comes to Mediate.com, we determine what state the visitor resides in and we then display your custom banner both at the top of the Mediate.com home page and in the body of articles for every visitor from your state! Save 25% during June with coupon code “Save25” – See Sample Statewide Banners!
Hired Before Hello: How Legal and DR Professionals Use Podcasting to Win Clients with Dennis Meador
with Susan Guthrie
Imagine a potential client calling your office for a consultation, and before you can even finish saying hello, they say, “I’ve been following your podcast for two years. You are already my professional. I just came to meet you.” That is not a fantasy call. That is what it looks like to win a client before they ever call you, and how a podcast can make it happen. Susan Guthrie sits down with Dennis “DM” Meador, founder of the Legal Podcast Network, where he and his team produce podcasts for attorneys and legal professionals nationwide.
AAA Magazine Featured Article:
Not All Exes Are Exes: A Mediator’s Reflection on Children, Divorce, and Extended Family – AAA Mediation Magazine
By Oran Kaufman
I have worked with divorced couples my entire professional career. But, having never been divorced myself, I had not fully internalized that simple but profound distinction: ex-spouses are not ex-parents. Former in-laws are not former grandparents. For children, those relationships often continue for a lifetime. In divorce mediation, parties are often consumed by the immediate conflict—who stays in the house, how inherited wealth should be treated, what happens with retirement accounts, what schedule will govern the children, and on and on. The emotional and financial “noise” from confronting these decisions can be deafening. As mediators, we regularly try to widen the lens. We use prompts, reframes, and questions to help clients modify their focus from the present moment to the long arc of their children’s lives.
The Mediator’s Pen: Navigating the Ethical Boundaries of Settlement Drafting and the “Two Hats” Problem
By N. Edward (Ed) Timken
In civil mediations, one of the most critical boundary lines in the entire ADR profession revolves around a simple question: Who writes the settlement agreement? The answer across national and state jurisdictions is uniform: the parties’ attorneys should draft the Term Sheet resolving the lawsuit. A mediator can and should only act as a scrivener, never as an author. When a mediator crosses the line from a facilitator into a legal draftsman, they create severe ethical conflicts, risk violating state statutes, and threaten the enforceability of the settlement itself.
Mediate.com Membership
Would you like to get more mediation cases by being in the world’s most used mediator directory and also be able to access all Mediate.com resources? Mediate.com Membership Benefits now include access to MediatorDojo, the Dive into AI Consultation Group, the Great Reads Book Club, and 20% off at MediateUniversity.com! See: www.mediate.com/Membership!
THIS WEEK’S MEDIATION NEWS:
TRAINING CALENDAR: