PDR Events
PDR Events
The Program on Dispute Resolution (PDR) hosts the prestigious Schwartz and Lawrence Lectures in addition to symposia and events from PDR Programs, JusticeTech and the Divided Community Project. PDR also hosts other dynamic dispute resolution events, many in partnership with colleagues across campus and around the country, as well as the Lawrence Negotiation Competition each fall.
Upcoming Events
2027 Schwartz Lecture
Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution 2027 Symposium
Schwartz Lecture on Dispute Resolution
The Schwartz Lecture on Dispute Resolution was established in 1992 as a result of the generosity of the late Stanley Schwartz Jr. (a 1947 Moritz College of Law graduate) and the Schwartz family. Each lecture is published in the interdisciplinary Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, in keeping with Mr. Schwartz’s interest in the promotion of scholarly publication in the area of dispute resolution.
2026 | The Four Policy Objectives of the Law of Mediation with Professor Michael Moffitt
2025 | Contemplating the Racial Implications at the Federal Arbitration Act’s Centennial with Professor Michael Z. Green
2024 | System Design for Contemporary Justice with Janet Martinez
2023 | Discussing Procedure with Donna Shestowsky
2022 | Mediation: Questions Through the Lens of Equity with Ellen Deason
2021 | Mediation and the Rule of Law with Josh Stulberg
Lawrence Lecture on Dispute Resolution
James K. L. Lawrence (’65) is a retired partner with Frost Brown Todd in Cincinnati. Following graduation from law school, he worked as an attorney at the National Labor Relations Board. He left the Board to join his firm and, for more than 30 years, practiced labor-relations and employment law. He is a skilled advocate in arbitration and an astute negotiator in collective bargaining and settlement discussions.
He has pursued vigorously the sustained study of dispute resolution materials at programs throughout the country, including the Program on Negotiation at Harvard, and has blended that study and practice into teaching courses in negotiation and mediation at Moritz and at the University of Cincinnati Law School. He has given generously of his time, talent, guidance and resources to Moritz and our Program on Dispute Resolution over the years, so it is perfectly fitting that this expanded educational enterprise with Negotiation at its core be conducted in his name.
2025 | Hidden Negotiations: From Entry to Equity in the Legal Profession with Professor Andrea Schneider
2024 | The Water We Swim In: Negotiating Power and Possibility with Professor Ariel Eckblad
2023 | Negotiating for Justice in our Criminal Legal System with Professor Cynthia Alkon
2022 | A Better Way to Negotiate That Drives Towards Equity and Justice with Stacia Jones
2021 | Ask for More with Professor Alexandra Carter
Lawrence Negotiation Competition
Every fall, Moritz students compete in the intramural Lawrence Negotiation Competition, named for James K.L. Lawrence (’65). The winners and runners-up in this week-long competition move on to Regional and National Negotiations Competitions, which the American Bar Association conducts. During the competition, teams of two law students working as advocates for a fictitious client negotiate against one another. They are judged on their ability to work together, establish rapport with the opposing team, and maximize the interests of their client. Every team competes in the first two rounds, after which the competition becomes single elimination.
Working with the Moot Court and Lawyering Skills Program, the Program on Dispute Resolution conducts a negotiation workshop for students who have no prior experience in negotiating to introduce them to effective negotiation skills and strategies and to prepare them for the competition. The Lawrence competition experience creates an engaging and stimulating learning experience for all participants. Any Moritz student may participate. Students pursuing the Certificate in Dispute Resolution may earn "externship" hours through their participation.