Center for Conflict Resolution
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| Center for Conflict Resolution | |
|---|---|
| Name | Center for Conflict Resolution |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
Center for Conflict Resolution is a nonprofit organization providing mediation, arbitration, facilitation, and restorative justice services. It operates through regional offices and collaborates with international bodies, courts, universities, and community groups to address disputes across civil, commercial, family, and public-sector domains. The center engages in training, research, and policy advocacy while partnering with legal aid organizations, philanthropic foundations, and governmental agencies.
History
The organization's origins trace to the late 1970s alternative dispute movement influenced by figures in Alternative dispute resolution, community initiatives in Boston, Massachusetts, and academic programs at Harvard Law School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University. Early collaborations involved practitioners connected to American Bar Association, Association for Conflict Resolution, and activists from Community Mediation Network. During the 1980s and 1990s the center expanded services amid policy shifts following cases and statutes such as Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. and reforms in municipal court systems influenced by studies at University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. Internationally, the center engaged with projects inspired by processes in South Africa's transition connected to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa), peacebuilding lessons from Northern Ireland and initiatives associated with United Nations missions. The 2000s saw partnerships with institutions like Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and programs modeled on work from RAND Corporation and Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mission and Organizational Structure
The mission emphasizes dispute resolution access, procedural fairness, and capacity building for practitioners and institutions linked to Family Court of Massachusetts, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and municipal agencies in Boston. Governance models reference boards similar to those at American Arbitration Association and advisory ties to faculty from Harvard Kennedy School and Yale Law School. Operational divisions mirror units found in Mediation Training Institute structures, with programmatic directors coordinating legal partnerships with Legal Services Corporation affiliates, restorative programs influenced by International Centre for Transitional Justice, and research arms collaborating with scholars from University of Michigan and Northwestern University.
Programs and Services
Services include community mediation modeled on projects from Neighborhood Justice Center and court-connected mediation comparable to initiatives at King County Superior Court and Los Angeles County Superior Court. The center offers workplace conflict resolution paralleling corporate programs at General Electric and IBM, family dispute services similar to those at Children and Family Services agencies, and restorative justice initiatives informed by practices in New Zealand and pilot programs in Rwanda. Specialized offerings address landlord-tenant disputes, small claims, and commercial arbitration akin to procedures at the International Chamber of Commerce and American Arbitration Association. Public policy forums have convened stakeholders comparable to meetings held by Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations.
Training and Certification
The center provides curricula aligned with standards used by Association for Conflict Resolution, the National Association for Community Mediation, and continuing education units similar to programs at Harvard Law School and Pepperdine University School of Law. Courses range from basic mediation to advanced arbitration and restorative conferencing, taught by trainers with affiliations to Columbia Law School, Stanford Law School, and practitioners formerly connected to Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Certification pathways mirror those offered by International Mediation Institute and compliance frameworks influenced by rules from the American Arbitration Association and professional guidelines at American Bar Association.
Research and Publications
The research office produces policy briefs, evaluation reports, and practitioner guides drawing on methods used at RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, and Nuffield Foundation. Publications have compared outcomes using metrics found in studies from University of Chicago and London School of Economics, and have appeared in journals similar to Harvard Negotiation Law Review and Journal of Conflict Resolution. Collaborative reports were produced with scholars from Princeton University, Duke University, and Georgetown University assessing impacts on recidivism, court efficiency, and community cohesion. Case studies reference precedents explored in analyses from Yale Law Journal and policy reviews by Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Partnerships and Funding
Funding and partners have included philanthropic organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and municipal grants from the City of Boston. Operational collaborations involve courts like the Massachusetts Trial Court, nonprofit legal providers such as Legal Services Corporation grantees, academic partners including Boston University and Northeastern University, and international agencies like United Nations Development Programme and United States Agency for International Development. Corporate pro bono arrangements have paralleled efforts by law firms associated with American Bar Association initiatives and private sector partners in Boston Consulting Group and Deloitte.
Impact and Notable Cases
Reported impacts include reduced case processing times in court-referred programs measured against baselines from studies at RAND Corporation and improved settlement rates similar to outcomes reported by the American Arbitration Association. Notable matters span high-profile housing mediation projects involving community groups akin to Tenants' Rights Movement actions, workplace mediation cases with major employers comparable to disputes at General Electric, and restorative processes used in school systems influenced by models from New York City Department of Education. The center has contributed expert testimony and amicus inputs reflecting scholarship from Harvard Law School and policy debates found at Brookings Institution panels.