ODR.com Keynote at Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference

ODR.com delivered a keynote at the 2026 Northwest Dispute Resolution conference, which took place at the University of Washington Law School in Seattle, Washington on March 26, 2023.

This edition of the conference was the 28th gathering, sponsored by the Dispute Resolution Section of the Washington State Bar Association. Other keynotes were delivered by leading dispute resolution thinkers and scholars Bernie Mayer and Ken Cloke.

ODR.com CEO Colin Rule delivered a talk entitled “Click to Resolve: AI’s Impact on the Art and Science of Mediation.” He focused on the rapid expansion of AI in dispute resolution, especially the rise of agentic tools like Claude Code and Claude CoWork, and the need for third parties to start learning how to collaborate with fourth party (technology) tools, who increasingly have a seat at the mediation table.

Mediate.com SVP Clare Fowler also delivered a workgroup session at the conference entitled “The REM and RAM of Conflict” focusing on neuroscience and mediation.

The NWDR conference is the premier global networking event for the ADR community in the Pacific Northwest, open to all conflict resolution practitioners, including but not limited to mediators, arbitrators, attorneys, human resources professionals and educators.

Other speakers at the event included DG Mawn (National Association for Community Mediation), Stephanie Cubacha (American Arbitration Association), Donna Lurie (Lurie Workplace Solutions), Chris Casillas (Casillas ADR Services), Melanie Reese (CADRE Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution), and Christine Cimini (Professor at UW School of Law).

The event was a resounding success, filled with energy and enthusiasm – underscoring the fact that the Pacific Northwest hosts an engaged, supportive, and optimistic community of dispute  resolution professionals and organizations.