LL.M. Training for Mediators Emphasizes Peace Through Practical Solutions

2 min read

The training was designed for licensed Armenian mediators and aimed to teach and improve techniques and skills for those interested in mastering the art of mediation. Among the participants were certified mediators, judges and students of the AUA Mediation and Arbitration Clinic. The training was held in English with the availability of simultaneous translation into Armenian for the needs of the local audience.

During the training, Judge Weinstein discussed his path as a mediator, the obstacles and resistance he and his colleagues faced in the course of their advocacy for mediation and their attempt to make alternative dispute resolution a viable remedy that could be applied in place of long judicial proceedings.

Judge Weinstein shared his knowledge and expertise acquired during his 30 years as a judge and mediator. He underlined the importance of the mediator’s role in creating the right atmosphere and helping all sides come closer to a solution by understanding their positions, assessing their true desires, defining the territory for safe negotiations and making the prospect of coming to an agreement more feasible. Judge Weinstein confessed that a mediator’s job is not an easy one, and advised that mediators should listen to people from a place of understanding that makes them feel human, as this is often what people in disputes are in need of.

Judge Weinstein is one of the preeminent mediators of complex civil disputes in the United States and is a pioneer in the development of mediation. He teaches and lectures fellow mediators and lawyers throughout the US and is recognized as one of the premier mediators of complex, multi-party, high-stake cases, both in the US and abroad. He is the recipient of the 2014 International Advocate for Peace Award from the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution․

Mushegh Manukyan, a former faculty member in AUA’s LL.M program and the founder of AUA’s Mediation and Arbitration Clinic, was one of the initiators of the training. Dr. Manukyan is an associate in the Washington, D.C. branch of Three Crowns, one of the world’s leading law firms in international arbitration, mediator at the Washington Appellate Court, and the author of Armenia’s mediation law.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.