TV and Radio Appearances Raise Mediation Awareness

Professor Joan Stearns Johnsen will continue to raise awareness of alternative dispute resolution, particularly mediation, when she sits down for an interview next week on NBC-affiliate WNYT's Forum 13. Her appearance will air throughout the Capital Region on the morning of Sunday, March 4.

Professor Johnsen was also interviewed about alternative dispute resolution on the Schenectady Today TV program on Jan. 24. In December, she appeared on the radio program Capital District Forum, which airs on several radio stations in the Capital Region.

“As lawyers, we resolve conflicts.  Historically, that meant going to court,” she explained. “Today, the percentage of disputes resolved by the courts is less than five percent. Everything from a personal disagreement between neighbors to a billion dollar dispute between multinational corporations can be resolved by mediation or some other alternative method. Happily, dispute resolution is no longer one size fits all.”

Currently the director of the law school's Securities Arbitration Clinic, Professor Johnsen formerly practiced in the area of financial services and securities as an enforcement attorney and in-house counsel, and most recently in private practice as a mediator and arbitrator.