ACR Update is sent on a regular basis to share important conflict resolution news and organizational updates with our members. We encourage you to scroll through the items listed below, and hope you'll find this information useful. We look forward to your feedback!

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. ACR Accepting Proposals for “Spanish Track” at 2005 Annual Conference

2. Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators Update

3. ACR Development Update

4. ACR Publications Update

5. Sections Update

6. Chapters Update

7. Quotes

8. Message from Our Sponsor: Complete Equity Markets, Inc.

Note: If the above links do not work, scroll down to view full body below.

The Joint Committee on Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators (“Joint Committee”) has reached consensus on its final revision of the Model Standards after having considered extensive research and weighing all submitted comments on the original document and subsequent revisions. The final version of the revised Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators, along with the Joint Committee’s recommendation for approval, has been sent to the ACR Board of Directors and to the leadership of the AAA and the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution.

ACR, the AAA and the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution convened the Joint Committee to review, revise and update the original Model Standards of Conduct that were established by the AAA, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution and SPIDR in 1994. ACR’s representatives to the Joint Committee are Sharon Press (former SPIDR president and former ACR Board Director) and Terry Wheeler (former CREnet president and current ACR President-Elect).

3. ACR Development Update

ACR extends a special thanks to everyone who supported the 2004 Annual Fund campaign. With your help, ACR raised more than $23,000 in donations. Thank you for demonstrating your commitment to ACR’s mission and supporting ACR’s vital programs and services.

In case you missed giving in 2004, it is not too early to consider making a gift to ACR’s 2005 Annual Fund campaign. For more information, please contact Penina Rantz, ACR Development and Fundraising Associate, at 202-464-9700, ext. 218 or prantz@ACRnet.org.

4. ACR Publications Update

Here’s a glance at upcoming ACResolution issues in 2005:

The Winter 2005 issue will be “Commercial ADR: A Strategic Business Solution” and includes exciting articles about how commercial mediation is becoming more important in the global economy and being employed in various sectors, and how you can become involved in this growing field. Watch your mailbox for this issue to arrive in February. The Spring 2005 issue will cover Arbitration, including a brief history and a look at various forms of arbitration, and will explore various career opportunities in this field. The Summer 2005 issue will discuss Family Mediation.

ACR is still accepting submission proposals. Please send a 2-3 paragraph proposal for consideration no later than March 10, 2005 to ACR’s Publications Manager at publications@ACRnet.org. ACResolution welcomes submissions for its departments (including “World Views,” “Learning Matters,” “Online Update”) as well as “Members in the News” and “Conference Calendar” entries. For submissions and further questions, send an email to Alison Talbott at publications@ACRnet.org or call 202-464-9700, ext. 230.

FAMILY SECTION UPDATE

Zena Zumeta reports that among the submitted proposals for the mediation track at the AFCC 2005 Conference are several from ACR Family Section members. The AFCC 2005 Conference program committee, on which she is serving, is hard at work screening and selecting workshops to be offered. Final decisions should be made early this year and a complete brochure will go out then. Watch for it! This has been an exciting collaborative process between AFCC and the Family Section of ACR.

This is a reminder that proposals for the Summer ACResolution issue, focusing on Family, should be submitted to ACR Publications Manager at publications@ACRnet.org no later than March 10th. For more information on proposals, which must be for original, not previously published articles, go to http://www.ACRnet.org/publications/acresolution.htm.

ACR-NORTH CAROLINA HOSTS TELESEMINAR

The North Carolina Chapter of the ACR (ACR-NC) hosted a teleseminar for its membership on Tuesday, December 17, 2004. The teleseminar featured Lynne Kinnucan, ACR Membership Development Associate, who discussed ideas to market members’ conflict resolution practices and getting the word out about mediation.

More than 15 members participated in the call, where they learned best practices for working with the media, how to promote a private practice and methods to keep mediation in the spotlight. Members’ questions were answered, ideas were exchanged and connections were made. The teleseminar was offered in response to discussions at the Chapter’s First Annual Meeting where several small groups grappled with promoting conflict resolution practices and the field in general.

A subcommittee of ACR-NC is participating in planning the Quad State Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Conference. This event, co-sponsored by the ACR-NC and the City of Charlotte, will be held March 16–18, 2005. The ACR-NC continues to grow and strengthen, and is looking strategically at ways continue providing members with the most meaningful educational opportunities. For more information about ACR-NC, visit its website at: http://www.mediate.com/acrnorthcarolina/.

ACR-NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES VIDEO CONTEST WINNERS

The Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California (ADRNC) announces the results of its “Words Not Weapons in 30 Seconds” Contest. The winning contestants created a 30-second video with a story line that dramatized alternative dispute resolution or ADR.

The winning videos were premiered in New York City, at “Make Talk Work,” an exhibit of the City University of New York's Dispute Resolution Consortium housed at John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s campus, and will be available on ADRNC's website (http://www.adrnc.org). These videos are also under consideration as possible public service announcements by San Francisco Bay Area television stations.

The $1,000 First Prize was awarded Jordan Rudman, Darby Gilbert, Rory Movat and Derek Rath, film students of Lynne Bennett of Acalanes High School, Lafayette, California. Their video dramatized how a surprisingly polite suggestion prevents a school fight.

The Mediation Gold Medal Winner Prize was awarded to Julie Crotty and Timothy Peterson of Huntington, New York. Their video depicts in slapstick relief a dispute that winds up as a mediation with a happy ending.

The Third Prize was awarded to Lauren Haile and Libby Lefanowicz, also students of Lynne Bennett of Lafayette's Acalanes High School. Their video presents the graphic image of an empty classroom and the sound of gunfire with the suggestion to use words not weapons.

ADRNC received a total of eleven entries from the Bay Area, Southern California, Seattle, Florida and New York. For more information on this contest, and on the Chapter, visit: http://www.adrnc.org/.

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