Discussion (1L): Conflict Management Design

What is conflict? When is it constructive or destructive? How is it prevented, managed and resolved? As lawyers, we commit to representing clients in an array of formal and informal processes, over discrete violations of law as well as long-ranging breaches of social norms, in local, state and international jurisdictions, in-person and on-line. In this seminar, we will examine different kinds of conflict and different kinds of processes, who designs those processes and who selects the specific process to use in a given instance. Examples include a corporate general counsel's management of consumer disputes; process options for Stanford students facing disputes with the University, other students, faculty, or staff; initiatives to address racial inequity and injustice through San Francisco's African American Reparations Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission; and the role of technology as a source of disputes as well as means to facilitate resolution. Grading will be based on attendance, participation, and short comment papers on four case/background readings. Class meets 4:30 PM-6:30 PM on Sept. 27, Oct. 10, Oct. 17, Oct. 24.