Making Friends with the Fourth Party: Integrating Technology into Your Dispute Resolution Practice

A Word about Definitions 13
What Is ODR? 13
Who, or What, Is the Fourth Party? 14
Introduction 17

1 ODR & Communication 21
Communication Complexity 21
The ‘So What’ for ODR 26

2 ODR and the Brain 29

3 ODR and Culture 35
Universal Disclosure Protocol for Mediation – UDPM 38

4 ODR, Ethics and Standards 43
Self-Determination 45
Competence 45
Confidentiality/Security 47
Accessibility 49
Legal 50

5 ODR and Practice 51
Before Working with Parties 52
Creating the Toolbox 56
Intake 56
Caucus and Dialogue 57
Document Sharing 57
Brainstorming 57
Choosing 58
Agreement 58
A Full Toolbox 59
Preparing Yourself – Text 59
Preparing Yourself – Audio 60
Preparing Yourself – Video 60
Beginning Interaction 63
Creating the Virtual Space 65
The Test Session 66
Co-mediator/Technology Manager 68
Convening 69
Managing Dialogue – Moderated Sessions 69
Managing Dialogue – Gatekeeping Sessions 71
Brainstorming and Option Generation 72
Rating, Ranking and Choosing 73
Drafting and Signing 74
Isolate Virtual Spaces 75
Mediators Will Figure It All Out 75

Appendices 77
Appendix 1. Sample Mediation Consent Form 79
Appendix 2. ODR Checklist 83
Appendix 3. ODR Standards 85
Appendix 4. ODR Ethics 89
Appendix 5. Universal Disclosure Protocol for Mediation 93
Appendix 6. Checklist for Pre-Session Caucus Discussions 97
Appendix 7. Checklist for Test Sessions 99
Appendix 8. Tips for Preparing and Working via Video 101
Appendix 9. Tips for Preparing and Working via Audio 107
Appendix 10. Tips For Preparing and Working via Text 111
Appendix 11. Tips for Preparing to Negotiate Online 115

About the Author 119