Please note that this summer's training program has been filled and there are no longer any spaces available. If you would like to be put on a waiting list in case there are any cancellations and a space opens up, please email cndr@uclawsf.edu.

The UC Law San Francisco Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (CNDR) presents its' annual 40-hour mediation training program. This program provides a unique blend of mediation theory, hands-on mediation skills training, and an exploration of the sensibilities and personal qualities required to be an effective mediator.

This program is useful for a range of professionals who deal with people in conflict, and any attorney who represents clients in mediation, to understand the process and to be more effective in representing clients in mediation. We also encourage participation of international attorneys, notaries and UC Law SF LL.M. students. No prior training or experience required. Participants receive a certificate of completion and optional MCLE credit.

In this highly interactive and dynamic training, participants from around the world learn the theory and practice of mediation. The methodology consists of a mixture of discussion, skill building exercises and role play. All participants will have the opportunity to practice multiple times in the client, advocate and mediator roles and will receive personalized feedback and coaching from professional mediators.

We start with the psychology and behavior of people in conflict and the different process choices parties can make when seeking to resolve conflict. We examine the different styles or models of mediation and the implications of those models for the client experience. We then explore and practice every phase of a mediation, from opening and setting the stage, to exploration of interests and issues, negotiating agreements, preparation of settlement documents and closure.

Combined with the practice of these phases, participants build critical communication and process management skills including how to:

Maintain neutrality
Balance power
Select appropriate influencing strategies
Decide whether, when and how to use private sessions (“caucus”)
Facilitate the “money dance”
Conduct a methodical alternatives analysis
Employ techniques for overcoming impasse
Convey “difficult” messages
Use active listening
Ask questions to move the clients in helpful directions
Handle difficult behavior and “reframe” problematic statements

Finally, we cover mediator ethics, process confidentiality, working with representatives and co-mediation.

What participants have to say:

“Fantastic! So happy I chose this program, it blew away my expectations. The role playing was especially valuable to measure progress and enforce the teaching.” – BT 2022

"I quit my job as a teacher to work in the Office of Civil Rights doing in-house dispute resolution and mediation. I could not have gotten this position without taking CNDR’s Fundamentals of Mediation Training, and I am so grateful for all of the skills I gained. I re-read Prof. Ford’s Peace at Work and feel even more prepared to take on this next challenge." – BL, 2024

Format

This summer’s class is planned as a live in-person event on the UC Law SF campus in San Francisco, pending any health orders or necessary changes to protect the health and safety of participants. All 40 hours will take place in-person during a live class, including small group breakout role plays with individualized coaching. Each day includes 1.5 hours of total breaks. (Not a virtual course)

Dates

Class Dates (40 hours of training plus breaks in-person): Monday, July 14-Friday, July 18, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. each day

Location

UC Law San Francisco, 198 McAllister, San Francisco, CA 94102

MCLE

40 California MCLE credits available, including 1.5 hrs Elimination of Bias and 2 hrs Legal Ethics. Be sure to select the "add on" for MCLE credit at checkout. MCLE Provider #9545.

Registration

Standard Registration Fee – $1,800
Early Bird Registration (ends one month prior) – $1,600
Alumni, Government, and Nonprofit Rate – $1,600

Sales end one week prior to the training. Questions to CNDR@uclawsf.edu.

Instructor

John Ford, BA LLB (UCT) is an experienced workplace mediator and soft-skills trainer. John studied law at the University of Cape Town before moving to Namibia, where he practiced from 1988 to 1995. Initially, he focused on representing survivors of human-rights abuses. After Namibian independence in 1990, his focus shifted to labor and employment law. John moved to California in 1996 and trained as a mediator. He has since successfully mediated hundreds of workplace disputes, and has worked with numerous teams to help them deal successfully with conflict.

John has provided training to thousands of employees at all levels in the workplace, across a wide range of industries. His workshops focus on the development of soft skills, such as communication, negotiation, facilitation, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, customer service and mediation. John teaches negotiation at UC Law San Francisco and organizational collaboration online through Creighton University. He taught Organizational Conflict Management through JFK University and mediation to graduate Business and Psychology students at Golden Gate University.

He is a past president of the Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California (ADRNC), and was the managing editor of www.mediate.com from 2000 to 2010. Currently, he is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution and the ADRNC and the Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM).

Mastering the Fundamentals of Mediation Certificate 2025