2024 Annual Meeting Videos

The 2024 CPR Annual Meeting was held March 6-8 at the The Westin Philadelphia. The theme was Freedom and Independence in ADR. There were 11 panels populated by knowledgeable and experienced speakers from many industries - general counsel, law firm counsel, neutrals and academics. 

Panel 1: Freedom from Cultural Bias - From Cultural Competence to Cultural Humility?

We often take our culturally-shaped practices for granted, becoming aware of the possibility of difference only when we find ourselves in an environment where the familiar rules of engagement seem not to hold sway. Our panel of practitioners and an academics steeped in cultural studies will discuss: 1) how culture can influence approaches to communication, power and status; 2) how differences can be successfully managed; and the role that cultural humility, self-awareness and bias- reduction techniques can play in creating a truly inclusive dispute management process. 

Panel 2: Corporate Counsel Roundtable

A panel of distinguished in-house counsel will discuss what dispute resolution techniques they find effective and how they use those techniques. The panel will explore leveraging flexibility in the dispute resolution process to enable the most effective resolution for specific disputes, incorporation of standing neutrals, and use of neutral technical experts.  Panelists will share stories of successes and challenges in use of dispute resolution techniques.

Panel 3: Freedom to Contract: Defending Arbitration's Advantages as a Means of Deciding Consumer Disputes

Arbitration becomes more complex and like traditional litigation, there are some recent trends away from arbitration in business-to-business commercial disputes. This panel will explore the case in defense of arbitration--focusing in particular on consumer and mass arbitration considerations.

Panel 4: Arbitrators and Mediators: How Much Freedom Do You Give or Take from Your Participants & A Mediator’s Freedom to Lie

The hallmark of an alternative dispute resolution process is self-determination.  Parties can choose the rules of an arbitration.  Parties can choose to settle or not at mediation.  But fairness and efficiency are also goals of arbitration.  And achieving a settlement is the obvious goal of all participants to a mediation.  But as we know, parties and participants sometimes get in their own way.  And as an experienced neutral, isn’t it your job to help them successfully navigate the process? This panel of experienced ADR practitioners will explore just how far a neutral can go in nudging, persuading, coaxing, cajoling, influencing, and/or pressuring the parties. 

Panel 5: The Freedom of Neutrals and Parties to Innovate the ADR Process

This panel will address how neutrals and parties can make the most of the flexibility offered by mediation and arbitration to successfully resolve disputes.  The panel will provide examples of tailoring the relationship between mediation and arbitration to the specific case needs and interests at stake through the use of mediation windows or concurrent mediation.  The panel will also explore the use of different adjudicating bodies to resolve technical and legal disputes, which has become more common in certain industries such as the  life sciences sector.  Finally, the panel will also address case management tools available to arbitrators to facilitate settlement—an often overlooked topic. 

Panel 6: Freedom and Inclusivity: DEI Programs in light of Recent Supreme Court Decisions in Students for Fair Admissions

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College has sparked a national debate about the battle for equality in corporate America and the legal professional and the continuing viability of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ("DE&I") programs and practices. Certain advocacy groups have begun using this landmark decision to challenge current norms beyond college admissions policies. How should companies and the legal profession respond to these challenges? 

The panel will address this question in a far ranging discussion covering the implications of Students for Fair Admissions for corporate DE&I programs, law firm efforts to address long standing underrepresentation in the profession, and the unique challenges facing under representation in the judiciary and among ADR professionals.

Panel 7: The Freedom to Incorporate AI into the ADR Process

Creating AI Tools for Tomorrow: Harnessing AI For Dispute Avoidance, and Effective Dispute Resolution:  Much attention has been paid to the role of AI in dispute resolution, and that attention will only grow as parties, and institutions continue to look for ways to best leverage AI.  

Clear opportunities exist to better identify and minimize areas of dispute before they arise, and for fairer, more economical resolution of disputes if they do -- whether it be with regards to intake, diagnosis and research, discovery, document management, or even identifying areas of common ground.  Our panelists are front-lines innovators responsible for conceiving, creating, and implementing tools to provide next-generation solutions for complex legal challenges.  We will discuss with them how best to realize and take advantage of AI,  how to identify, and consider risks around implementation, and what to avoid in terms of potential pitfalls.

Panel 8: Freedom to Choose--International vs. Domestic Arbitration: Comparisons and Practical Approaches

Effective and efficient arbitration requires adjustment depending on the circumstances. The background of the parties, their respective legal systems, and the size and scope of a given dispute, among other things, provide clues on how to structure arbitrations to optimize efficiency without sacrificing due process. The panel will identify these clues and the options for arbitration that they suggest.

Panel 9: Freedom or Folly: Is Illegally Obtained Evidence Admissible in an Arbitration Proceeding?

Arbitration is famously free from strict evidentiary rules. But, in light of recent cases where awards have been challenged due to the admission of illegally obtained evidence, is this folly? The panel will consider what constitutes illegally obtained evidence, the pitfalls of introducing (as counsel) or relying upon (as a neutral) such evidence, and what can be done, as a practical matter, to ensure arbitration remains a fair and effective process for resolving disputes.

Panel 10: Dispute Prevention and Resolution of Sustainability Disputes in the Financial Sector

With increasing sustainability-related regulation, reporting, and investment, financial sector companies are confronted with greater scrutiny of their internal processes and external-facing statements.  The financial services industry is facing a growing expectation to implement sustainable finance, provide the economic framework for the net-zero transition, and manage climate risks in their portfolios.  

They are also operating within frameworks pushing for increasing environmental due diligence by financial institutions in relation to their investments and assets, and the exercising of leverage to mitigate adverse impacts.  Financial sector companies are striving to navigate this new environment, seeking to effectively minimize or break free from disputes while managing reputational risk.  This panel will discuss the role non-binding dispute resolution mechanisms have to play in resolving sustainability-related disputes in the financial sector.

Panel 11: Cybersecurity Ethics: Freedom to ignore Cybersecurity Ethics is not free

Presentation of a few nightmare cyberbreach scenarios that really happen to lawyers and the ethical issues those raise with respect to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and otherwise...

Practical considerations and resources in Cybersecurity Ethics.

Annual Meeting Awards