Inaugural Meeting of Straus Institute Inn of Court

February 8, 2018 | Nearly forty members of the Pepperdine/Straus American Inn of Court for Dispute Resolution held their inaugural program dinner meeting at the offices of Jones Day, Los Angeles, to hear the highly entertaining and interactive program "Is it Ever O.K. to Lie in Mediation?" The program was introduced and co-presented by Stephen Lepley (LLM '14), Straus Director of Professional Outreach and Inn President, together with the Honorable Andrew Guilford, United States District Court Judge and Honorary Inn member, and Paul Rafferty, Esq., Jones Day partner and Inn Executive Committee member.

The meeting was the culmination of a year's work by the Inn's Organizing Executive Committee, pursuing an initiative begun by Straus Institute Professor and Dean Tom Stipanowich in late 2016. The Inn is one of more than 400 nationally affiliated with the American Inns of Court, associating more than 30,000 lawyers, judges, professors and other legal professionals from all levels and backgrounds who share a passion for excellence, civility, professionalism, and ethics.  Continuing the tradition of mentoring students and young professionals, the Pepperdine/Straus Inn is dedicated to offering the highest caliber dispute resolution professional education programs in a relaxed setting and providing excellent opportunities for getting to know colleagues on a more personal level.

Upcoming programs for spring 2018 will include presentations on implicit bias in the dispute resolution setting, recent developments in arbitration, mediation and settlement law, and "Mixing Modes," the interplay between mediation, evaluation and adjudication. A Summer Social event is also scheduled for June 2018 at the beachside Jonathan Club in Santa Monica, and several programs are being planned for young lawyers in downtown Los Angeles during Summer 2018.