ANNUAL MEETING AND FALL CONFERENCE - Panel Discussion: "Mediation in the Me Too Era: Mediating Sexual Discrimination Cases and Managing Harassing Behavior," and Presentation: "A New Look at Mediation Practice Quality," Friday, November 6, 9:30 am - 12:45 pm by ZOOM.
CLE: 2.5 CADRES Credit hours available.
Session 1 - 1.5 Harassment/Discrimination hours
Session 2 - 1.0 Ethics hours
MAM members $50.00 and non MAM members $75.00.
University of Maine School of Law Students - Free.
You will receive an email a few days before the event with Zoom instructions.
9:30 to 10:00 am - Annual meeting
10:00 to 11:30 am Panel: "Mediation in the Me Too Era: Mediating Sexual Discrimination Cases and Managing Harassing Behavior" - moderated panel discussion. Discussion of the laws and general remedies governing Sexual Discrimination and Harassment cases as well as recent trends in this area. There will be a discussion of best practices and potential pitfalls in managing bullying and harassing behavior in sexual discrimination/harassment cases and in general.
Speakers include:
- Amy Sneirson, Esq., Executive Director of the Maine Human Rights Commission
- Maria Fox, Esq., partner at MittelAsen, LLC
- Edward R. Boutin, Commissioner and Mediator, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
- Jay Wilgus, Esq., Mediator, Arbitrator, and Facilitator at Klancy Street
- Moderated by Rebekah Smith, Esq., ADR Practitioner at Seven Tree Solutions
11:30 to 11:45 am Break
11:45 am to 12:45 pm Practice Quality presentation - "A New Look at Mediation Practice Quality" - MAM has established standards of conduct for mediators, which the Practice Quality Committee would like to revisit with you. The Committee invites your opinions on which standards are most valuable and essential to your work and how you maintain dialogue around mediation standards and ways of mediating, both as mediators and as individual/agency supporters of mediation. Please join the Practice Quality Committee in an engaging conversation around how you and those around you mediate and how you can guide the work of this Committee in revising the standards of conduct for mediators in order to better support mediators and collectively deepen the quality of mediation practice in Maine.
Session 2 Presenter: MAM Board member Sarah Matari - Sarah came to alternative dispute resolution work with hopes of empowering community members, organizations and institutions to address conflict through holistic dialogue. Sarah currently focuses on training and organizational culture change at RJP Maine. She came to Maine having provided mediation and restorative justice training and direct services to New York City based institutions and communities, such as the New York State Unified Court System, Community Dispute Resolution Centers, and the Department of Education. She continues to work towards partnering with any institution, organization, or school interested in building up their restorative culture and conflict resolution skills. Sarah began conflict resolution work at Smith College, and went onto Fordham Law School to advocate for international children's rights. Her passion for helping communities to establish a culture of belonging and safety for all of its young people drives her work.
Session 1 Panel Discussion bios:
Amy Sneirson has been the Maine Human Rights Commission’s Executive Director since late 2011. Prior to that, Amy practiced law with a focus on employment, education, and civil rights issues in private firm, nonprofit agency, and state attorney general settings in both Maine and Missouri. Originally from Massachusetts, Amy received her undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester in New York and her law degree from the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis.
Maria Fox is a partner of MittelAsen, LLC in Portland, Maine. She has practiced employment law for over 20 years, providing legal consultation and representation before administrative tribunals as well as in state and federal court, to employees and employers in all manner of workplace matters, including disability accommodations, sexual harassment, whistleblower retaliation, non-competition and severance agreements, family and medical leave, wage and hour, employment contracts. Maria also serves as a private mediator, arbitrator, and independent investigator of labor and employment matters. She is a member of various alternative dispute resolution panels, including as an arbitrator on the American Arbitration Association Employment Law panel, and as a mediator for the Maine Human Rights Commission and Maine Labor Relations Board panels, as well as for the American Arbitration Association Labor and Employment panel. Maria earned her Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law and a Bachelor’s in Public Policy from William Smith College.
Jay Wilgus is a lawyer, mediator, educator, consultant, and facilitator specializing in multi-party dispute resolution processes and dispute resolution systems design. Prior to forming Klancy Street, he served as Director of the Office of Student Conflict Resolution at the University of Michigan, Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Utah, and an attorney-mediator in private practice. Wilgus is national leader in the field of student conduct and conflict management who is regularly called upon to assist postsecondary institutions, federal agencies, academics, and others seeking to improve institutional responses to student conduct, student conflict, and sexual misconduct. He holds an Honors degree in Communications from the University of Utah, a Master’s in Dispute Resolution (M.D.R.) from Pepperdine University, and a J.D. from the S.J. Quinney College of Law in Salt Lake City where he served as a member of the Utah Law Review.
Edward R. Boutin: currently, Mediator for Federal Mediation and Conciliation (FMCS), previously, EEO Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist (USPS), Part time Mediator for Maine Judicial Court FED/Small Claims, Contract Mediator for Maine Department of Education, Part time Mediator and Board member for Community Mediation Center. EDUCATION: MS in School Psychology, University of Southern Maine, BA in Economics, Northeastern University, Certifications in Mediation and Human Resources from the University of Southern Maine, 30 plus professional conflict resolution trainings from FMCS, EEOC, Maine Judicial Branch, US Postal Service and others.
Rebekah Smith: Rebekah has 15 years of multi-faceted experience in helping people successfully resolve disputes, convening many hundreds of mediations, in person and through remote video proceedings. In addition to serving private parties, she has provided mediation services for individuals involved with the Maine Department of Education, Maine Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, Community Mediation Services, and Maine Human Rights Commission. She also presides over other forms of dispute resolution, including fair hearings, arbitrations, and independent investigations, and has served as the Alternate Chair of the Maine Labor Relations Board of Arbitration and Conciliation. Her previous experience includes clerking for the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as a two-year Skadden Fellowship.
