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University of Miami School of Law establishes nation’s first therapeutic jurisprudence center

From LawFuel:

The University of Miami School of Law announces the establishment of the Therapeutic Jurisprudence Center. The center will be directed by Professor Bruce J. Winick, who, along with Professor David B. Wexler of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, founded the field of therapeutic jurisprudence in the late 1980s. The inauguration of the Therapeutic Jurisprudence Center will be celebrated on Thursday evening, September 24th at the Lowe Art Museum on campus. Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara J. Pariente will serve as keynote speaker for the invitation-only event. President Donna E. Shalala will give welcoming remarks.

“The center will play a significant role in identifying the practical insights of law and psychology,” said Dean Patricia D. White. “Professor Winick’s work in this arena has been 

Here is an enormous list of forgiveness resources

These forgiveness resources include

• 10 top experts
• Organizations
• Love and forgiveness in world religions
• National sources on forgiveness

Seems kind of appropriate to post these resources on Valentine's Day Eve, don't you think?

Articles on therapeutic jurisprudence

Several articles on therapeutic jurisprudence are available for download at a Web page of the Therapeutic Jurisprudence Program at William and Mary School of Law. Click to read the TJ articles. What's therapeutic jurisprudence? From the Program's Overview:

Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ) is the study of the role of the law as a therapeutic agent. It places much needed attention on the law's impact on emotional life and psychological well-being. As we better understand that the law is a social force that often produces therapeutic or anti-therapeutic consequences, the study of TJ provides an exciting opportunity for our students and legal professionals to gain valuable insights into how the law actually affects people. Recognition that significant human stressors are attached to legal processes is fundamental to our program. Our program explores ways consistent with the principles of justice that the knowledge associated with TJ can help minimize emotional harm and meet the needs of individuals, families and the community.

Click for the Web site of the International Network on Therapeutic Jurisprudence.

National tour of CuttingEdgeLaw.com: Watch the lawyer interviews now

Kim Wright is touring the country with a videographer on what she calls "The New Lawyer Tour." She is interviewing "lawyers whose work distinguishes them as pioneers in peacemaking and champions of justice." Click for a complete description of the tour and the soon-to-be-launched magazine CuttingEdgeLaw.com. You may watch some of the interviews here. Enjoy your travels, Kim!

Blog Glob: Justice calls for more than one size fits all

Excerpts from "Justice calls for more than one size fits all" (WA Today):

THE debate raging about the role of courts and barristers and the size of counsels' fees is but one aspect of the much broader problem of the role of our justice system and its reform. It is a debate that asks us as a community to think deeply about how we can best deal with conflicts and the problems underlying them.
. . .

Other approaches to justice have emerged recently that influence the way the justice system functions, including restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence,

International Association of Holistic Lawyers holding their annual conference May 15-18, 2008

From the IAHL Web site:

The 2008 Annual Conference, May 15-18, 2008, will be held at The Retreat Center in Plymouth, Michigan. The theme for the conference is Authentic Lawyering:  Practicing from the Heart.

Plans include Ward Powers as a keynote speaker.  A lawyer, he created and produced One the Movie, a film about the concept of oneness.  Lorraine Weber, who is head of the Detroit Metro Bar Association--and a shaman--will open the conference.
. . .
IAHL Mission Statement:

The International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers' mission is to transform the practice of law, through education and support of holistic practice.

Our Vision:

The IAHL envisions a world where lawyers are valued as healers, helpers, counselors, problem-solvers, and peacemakers.  Conflicts are seen as opportunities for growth.  Lawyers model balanced lives and are respected for their contributions to the greater good.

Register here.

Colorado in February: "Transforming the World, One Conflict at a Time"

This event will be held February 15-18, 2008, near Denver, Colorado. Who are the target attendees? From the event flyer:

For MBB Members and Professionals Working in Dispute Resolution: Lawyers, Judges, Peace‐builders, Mediators, Arbitrators & Psychotherapists, & Systems Designers, Educators and Students .

Also from the flyer:

Speakers:

• Kenneth Cloke, JD, LLM, Ph.D., President of Mediators Beyond Borders
• Daniel Bowling, Esq., Co‐Author Bringing Peace into the Room
• Erica Ariel Fox, JD, Harvard Program on Negotiation Insight Initiative
• John Paul Lederach, Ph.D. & Herman Weaver, Ph.D, “Peacebuilding: Songs from the Road”

Topics for Discussion:

• Why Mediators Beyond Borders?
• Strategies to Help Save the Planet
• Current & Planned Projects
• How to Form Project Teams
• Potential Partners & Funders
• MBB Chapters & e‐Support
• Learning What Skills are Needed
• Training, e‐Library & Conflictpedia
• Indigenous/Environmental Disputes
• Culture, Prejudice & Bias Reduction
• Role of VORP & Restorative Justice
• Bias Awareness
• Truth & Reconciliation Processes

See the flyer for more information.

Note (added at 3:55 PM Mountain): Vickie Pynchon who was kind enough to tell me about this event also blogged about it today at her Settle It Now Negotiation Blog.

Conference later this month: Lawyers As Peacemakers, Lawyers as Problemsolvers

Lawyers As Peacemakers, Lawyers as Problemsolvers will be held Sunday, October 28, 2007 and
Monday, October 29, 2007, in Memphis Tennessee. From the conference brochure (PDF) . . .

According to the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, a “new conception of law practice” and of what it means to be a lawyer is taking hold within the legal profession. The legal academy and the legal profession are considering innovative approaches to the practice of law-including diverse paths such as collaborative law, restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, transformative mediation, holistic law, and problem-solving courts. These opportunities offer attorneys broader dimensions in pursuing their professional responsibilities in client counseling and advocacy, conflict resolution and the promotion of social justice.

National speakers are . . .

Upcoming conference in November: Law as a Healing Profession

The Law as a Healing Profession conference will be held Sunday, November 4, 2007 and Monday, November 5, 2007 at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in Central Islip, New York.

From the conference brochure (PDF) . . .

The inspiration for this Conference was Touro law professor Marjorie Silver’s
anthology, The Affective Assistance of Counsel: Practicing Law as a Healing Profession:

This book is subversive. It aims to undermine the legal profession’s prevailing gladiatorial paradigm. It is, to use Professor Leonard Riskin’s phrase, something off “the lawyer’s standard philosophical map.” It promises a vision of practicing law that is very different than that taught in most American law schools.

There exists tremendous discontent among the practicing bar. Many lawyers have found themselves unhappy or unfulfilled in their practices. Compared to other professionals, lawyers suffer disproportionately from excessive stress, substance abuse, and other emotional difficulties. Many find themselves demoralized or disillusioned about the practice of law.

Here’s the good news.

Therapeutic jurisprudence, mediation, restorative justice, fear, and love: Some available reading for you

The Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration has just created a page on its Web site at which papers from the Third International Conference on Therapeutic Jurisprudence held in Perth, Australia, in June 2006, may be downloaded. Downloadable papers may be accessed by clicking here. The papers with an author's name as a live link are the ones available. The papers you may access include . . .

• The Case for a Paradigm Shift in Civil and Commercial Dispute Resolution – Moving from Fear to Love: A Solicitor’s Perspective
• Therapeutic Jurisprudence: Providing Some Answers to the Neutrality Dilemma in Mediation
• Calgary Domestic Violence Court Project and Therapeutic Jurisprudence in a Canadian Context
• Therapeutic Jurisprudence Sentencing Principles In A Canadian Context
• Bridging the Gap: the use of an innovative liaison role to enhance multidisciplinary effectiveness within Drug Treatment Courts
• Just Treatment: Testing the limits of therapeutic jurisprudence
• Applying a combination of restorative justice and therapeutic jurisprudence: a social research project in Roebourne, Western Australia
• Pre Plea Therapeutic Intervention by Courts

Click for more about therapeutic jurisprudence.