Professor Stephanie Blondell Speaks on Ethical Mediation -- Maryland State Bar Association

Professor Stephanie Blondell presented "When Good Mediators Make Bad Decisions: A Look at Ethical Fading in Mediation" for the Maryland Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section's Spring Training Seminar.  The seminar took place on April 24.

From the Maryland State Bar Association on "When Good Mediators Make Bad Decisions: A Look at Ethical Fading in Mediation"

An important, foundational approach to mediation ethics is, of course, thorough knowledge of the relevant codes, statutes, and rules in your jurisdiction.  This session takes an alternative psychological approach to ethics and asks the question: How do good ethical mediators make bad ethical decisions? We will examine the range of psychological processes that lead people to engage in ethically questionable behaviors that are often inconsistent with their preferred moral code. We will explore how this ethical fading happens in the mediation profession and how to prevent it. We will also explore how moral disengagement influences, not only our professional obligation but how the parties we work with find themselves in conflicts in the first place.