Resolution Systems Institute

If you haven't been keeping up with RSI's blog, here's a taste of what you've been missing! RSI's most-read 2024 blogs included: 1. RSI Completes Pilot Phase of Trust Project 2. Sowing Seeds that Blossom into Meaningful Life's Work 3. OPEN Project: 'I Think My 10-Year-Old Can Do This' 4. New Board Member Tiamiyu Talks Tech, ADR and More 5. 8 Tips for Assisting Self-Represented Litigants 6. How Can Community Mediation Centers Diversify Their Rosters? You can always catch up at https://blog.aboutrsi.org/

The year may be almost over, but it’s not too late to support causes you care about! You can help courts better serve our communities — particularly people who face our court system without the help of a lawyer. People who first heard of “ODR” or mediation when a court notice informed them they had to use it. People who struggle to pay their rent, and people who rely on that rent to feed their own families. RSI’s research-informed guides and high-quality mediation services help courts make systems-level changes that can improve the lives of people in all of our communities. Yet courts are often overburdened and underfunded, and many are unaware of the help RSI could provide. Will you help RSI reach more courts with our resources to help everyone have access to better ways to resolve conflicts? Please give today at aboutrsi.org/donate. We can't do this without you, and we are so grateful for your support!

RSI is grateful to the AAA-ICDR Foundation® for its funding of the ODR Party Engagement (OPEN) Project and its support of our work over the years! Together we are improving access to justice. Be sure to check out the Foundation's latest update.

Don't miss odr.com CEO Colin Rule's conversation with RSI Director of Research Jennifer Shack for the National Center for Technology & Dispute Resolution! Check out the webinar here: https://blog.aboutrsi.org/

In the latest edition of RSI's Court ADR Connection newsletter: > Colin Rule interviews Jennifer Shack as part of the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution's ODR Cyberweek 2024. > RSI staff and an Illinois 16th Circuit Court judge talk to attorneys about the goals and potential benefits of using mediation in eviction cases. > Board Treasurer Terry Moritz is inducted into the College of Commercial Arbitrators fellowship. And more! Don't miss it. https://lnkd.in/enhAAArb

Giving Tuesday may officially have passed, but it’s not too late to support causes you care about. You can help courts better serve our communities — particularly people who face our court system without the help of a lawyer. People who first heard of “ODR” or mediation when a court notice informed them they had to use it. People who struggle to pay their rent, and people who rely on that rent to feed their own families. RSI’s research-informed guides and high-quality mediation services help courts make systems-level changes that can improve the lives of people in all of our communities. Yet courts are often overburdened and underfunded, and many are unaware of the help RSI could provide. Will you help RSI reach more courts with our resources to help everyone have access to better ways to resolve conflicts? Just a small gift of $14.40 pays for us to reach 20 courts with a message about how to improve ADR services to our communities. Please give today at aboutrsi.org/donate.

Thanks so much for sharing, Jim! It was great to see this blog post about RSI's ODR Party Engagement (OPEN) Project, generously funded by the AAA-ICDR Foundation®, on Mediate.com and mentioned in the This Week in Mediation newsletter!

Today's the day! Join Jennifer Shack, Colin Rule and Nicolás Lozada Pimiento at 3 pm EST for a discussion on Evaluating and Improving Family ODR in Courts. https://lnkd.in/g8GwBD2B

Could your court or organization use some practical tips for communicating about ODR with self-represented parties? The first phase of RSI’s ODR Party Engagement (OPEN) Project used focus groups to study barriers to using court-referred text-based online dispute resolution and ways courts could address these barriers. One piece of advice: Provide court contact information on all communications, and ensure that at least one staff member can knowledgeably answer ODR questions. Our focus group participants expressed a strong desire to contact someone who could help them understand and navigate ODR. Participants felt the ability to speak to someone who is knowledgeable about ODR would provide reassurance and allow them to feel more confident moving forward with ODR. Over half of the participants said they would call the courts if they had questions on the court documents. For more advice and details, download RSI’s 38-page guide, Communicating Effectively About ODR: A Guide for Courts, and our Document Preparation Worksheet and Checklist for ODR Programs for free at www.odr.aboutrsi.org.

By donating to RSI this Giving Season, you help strengthen access to justice and you give people a chance. A chance to avoid the stress of going to court. A chance to feel heard. A chance to see another perspective. A chance to stay in their home. We couldn’t do this work without you, and we are truly grateful for your support. Haven’t yet made your gift? Please donate at aboutrsi.org/donate.