DePaul University's new Dispute Resolution Center has begun offering classes in negotiation and mediation training for attorneys.

The center opened its doors this fall to meet the increasing demand for mediation and negotiation training. The training is for attorneys, business professionals and firms.

"Instead of focusing on who was right or wrong in the past, mediation looks for the best business solution," according to Katheryn M. Dutenhaver, executive director of the Dispute Resolution Center.

"Resolving corporate disputes through mediation has become the trend in conflict resolution. Executives want attorneys who will to help them search for business solutions that are not available in the courtroom," according to Dutenhaver.

This first on-campus session on May 6-8 and 13-14 is for attorneys who want to understand how an attorney represents clients in mediation, said Dutenhaver.

DePaul has been offering mediation classes since 1986 to law students, but this is the first time DePaul has offered mediation training to attorneys as a certificate program.

Attorneys can be trained on-site in their law firms or corporate legal departments, or they can enroll in classes being offered at several DePaul campuses.

"This is the first Certificate in Mediation offered by a major university in the Chicago metropolitan area," said Thomas Gibbons, director of the Office of Continuing and Professional Education (OCPE).

"We believe this program, offered jointly by DePaul's College of Law and OCPE, will provide a high-quality educational opportunity for professionals who are increasingly turning to negotiation and mediation as an alternative to costly litigation, whether that litigation involves the courts or even arbitration," said Gibbons.

"DePaul's College of Law has been a leader in teaching dispute resolution for years. Our prominence in the field was recognized by our being selected for a recent grant in conjunction with the University of Missouri, Columbia, for introducing dispute resolution into the core curriculum of the school," said College of Law Acting Dean Mark Weber. "The activities of the Dispute Resolution Center will build on the experience we have had and will serve a new group of individuals who can put their knowledge to immediate use."

DePaul's Dispute Resolution Center will serve Chicago's business community as well. The center customizes training programs for corporations in negotiation and mediation skills for corporation managers.

Experienced trainers will go to corporations, government units, institutions, non-profit organizations and professional associations to teach managers the skills of conflict resolution within their own organizations. These sessions last from one to five days.

Dutenhaver, a law professor at DePaul since 1974, is considered one of the leading mediators and trainers in the country.

In addition to training others in the process, she has mediated or arbitrated cases involving construction, coal mining, insurance, intellectual property, real estate, professional business association conflicts, employment disputes, health care matters, educational issues, governmental conflicts and marital issues.

She currently serves on the Blue Ribbon Mediator Panel of the American Arbitration Association and has served on dispute resolution committees for the Illinois Supreme Court, the Circuit Court of Cook County, The Chicago Bar Association, The Illinois Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

For more information contact Dutenhaver at 312/362-6325.