Werner Institute Symposium 2024

Location

Online via Zoom

Registration

Free Event

Designed For

Lawyers and law students

Provided By

• Werner Institute for Negotiation & Conflict Resolution at Creighton University School of Law
• Creighton University Office of Continuing Education

Featured Faculty

United States Magistrate Judge Michael Nelson
District of Nebraska

Michael Kinney
Mediator and Partner, Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Mike Mullin
Partner, Kutak Rock

Laurel Stevenson
Director, Mediation and Assessment Program, United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri

Amy VanHorne
Partner, Kutak Rock

Description

The first half of the CLE will be presented by Laurel Stevenson, Director, Mediation & Assessment Plan for U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri. Her presentation, “Beyond ChatGPT: Ethical and Practical Considerations of AI in the Mediation Process” will address AI as a tool, its impact on the mediation process, and ethical considerations for mediators and attorney-advocates.

The second half of the CLE will be a panel discussion consisting of Mike Mullen, Judge Michael Nelson, Mike Kinney, and Amy VanHorne. The panel focuses on the topic of “Awkward Moments in Mediation and What We Can Learn From Them.”  

Schedule

Friday, October, 4, 2024

1 p.m.
AI in Mediation

Keynote Speaker:
Laurel Stevenson
Director, Mediation & Assessment Plan for U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri

Laurel Stevenson is the Director of the Mediation and Assessment Program (MAP) for the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Prior to joining the Court, Laurel was a litigator for more than two decades, and served as a Facilitator for the Missouri Bar's Complaint Resolution Program and Fee Dispute Resolution Program in addition to serving as an arbitrator and mediator. In 2023, she served as a Fellow to the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the ABA’s Court ADR Committee and the Editor of The Resolver, a publication of the FBA’s ADR Section. She has conducted hundreds of mediations, including more than 300 via Zoom.

2 p.m.
Awkward Moments in Mediation and What We Can Learn from Them

Panel:
Mike Mullin
Partner, Kutak Rock

Michael has extensive litigation experience and has tried to conclusion more than 50 jury trials and numerous bench trials in cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, toxic tort and insurance coverage disputes. He has successfully handled numerous appeals to the Nebraska Court of Appeals, the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In addition to his litigation practice, Michael has served as a mediator in over 4,000 disputes. He regularly mediates over 300 disputes per year across the United States. He has successfully mediated a wide range of civil disputes, including class action lawsuits, FLSA collective actions, FELA claims, Superfund CERCLA cost recovery actions, catastrophic injury claims, shareholder disputes and virtually all types of business and commercial disputes.

United States Magistrate Judge Michael Nelson
District of Nebraska

The Honorable Michael D. Nelson completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with honors, in 1988. He received his law degree from Creighton University School of Law in 1991. His private practice was concentrated in criminal defense before state and federal courts. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, teaching in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He was a Commissioner on the Nebraska Commission for Public Advocacy and also the Criminal Justice Panel Representative for the District of Nebraska. On May 23, 2016, he was selected to be a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Nebraska and took the bench on July 1, 2017.

Mike Kinney
Mediator and Partner, Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Michael F. Kinney graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 197 and started with Cassem Tierney in 1971. After 43 years of litigating a wide variety of lawsuits Mike decided to concentrate solely on his mediation practice.

Mr. Kinney has been named Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” Arbitration for 2012 and 2019 for Omaha; Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Mediation, Omaha, for 2013, 2022 and 2024; Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” Bet-the-Company Litigation 2016 for Omaha; Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” Medical Malpractice – Defendants 2017 for Omaha; and Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants 2020 for Omaha.

Recipient of Nebraska Lawyer Foundation’s Visionary Award (2015) for establishment of SOLACE program. Voted by peers one of Nebraska’s Top Ten Super Lawyers (2012); included in Super Lawyers annually (2007-present). Mediation experience includes over 1,000 completed mediations in wide variety of civil litigation matters.

Amy VanHorne
Partner, Kutak Rock

Amy is the first female mediator in Nebraska to be accepted into the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, and one of only two attorneys from Nebraska accepted into the American College of Civil Trial Mediators. As a second-career lawyer, Amy has experience as a public-school teacher as well as extensive experience litigating personal injury, products liability, and insurance coverage disputes. This experience gives her the unique ability to both educate parties on how a case will progress to verdict as well as provide valuable support in reaching success in mediation.

She also regularly serves as an arbitrator in those same areas. Amy is an approved panelist for the American Arbitration Association (AAA) panel of arbitrators and panel of mediators.

An active member in her community, Amy serves on the board of Legal Aid of Nebraska and provides volunteer legal services through the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Tenant Assistance Project and Legal Aid of Nebraska clinics. The opportunity to work with a variety of people in a wide range of circumstances provides a unique insight into conflict and conflict resolution that she finds invaluable in her ADR practice.

3 p.m.
Adjournment

Continuing Education

Creighton University School of Law is an accredited sponsor of continuing legal education in the states of Nebraska and Iowa. This program has been approved for 2 hours of continuing legal education, including 1 ethics hour in the state of Nebraska. Continuing Legal Education Credit (CLE) is pending in Iowa.

Missouri CLE
This program has been approved for 2 total hours, including 1 hour of ethics in the State of Missouri.