PON Live! Turning Difficult Mediation Moments into Opportunities

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Event Date: Friday April 28, 2023
Time: 12:00-1:00 pm

The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School is pleased to present:

PON Live! 

Turning Difficult Mediation Moments into Opportunities

A virtual discussion with:

Friday, April 28, 2023
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public.

The session will be recorded. Pending faculty approval, we will post the recording on this page after the session.

About the talk:

Even the most seasoned mediators face challenging moments. What characterizes these moments? What do they have in common? When do they occur? Why do mediators view them as challenging? And then, how can mediators anticipate and navigate these moments in the midst of mediation? What considerations can mediators keep in mind to turn difficult moments into opportunities?

Drawing from their mediation experiences, Alain Lempereur and Audrey Lee will lead an interactive presentation on how mediators can equip themselves to engage thoughtfully and purposefully with mediation parties when they face these difficult moments. They will analyze mediation dynamics and scenarios related to strong emotions, identity, roles, bias, as well as when to employ reflective responses rather than relying on instinct.

About the speakers:

Audrey Lee specializes in mediating workplace, employment, organizational, harassment, and discrimination disputes. She is Chair of Boston Law Collaborative’s ADR Panel and has served as a mediator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Lee also works with higher education institutions on Title IX matters, both as an adjudicator and organizational consultant. In 2021, Lee was selected for inclusion in Boston Magazine’s inaugural list of “Top Lawyers” (Mediators).

In her consulting practice, Lee works with clients to increase their effectiveness in difficult workplace conversations and negotiations. In recognition of her professional development work with lawyers, Lee was invited in 2018 to become a Trusted Advisor for the Professional Development Consortium, the association for individuals responsible for the professional development of lawyers and other professionals at law firms, law schools, government agencies, and corporations.

Drawing on her experience as a mediator and conflict management consultant, Lee has led interactive implicit bias workshops at the Canadian Bar Association, the League of American Orchestras Annual Conference, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. She has also led advanced mediation skills workshops for mediators at the Office of the UN Ombudsman and Mediation Service and Australia’s Fair Work Commission. Lee is featured in Harvard Business Review’s “Insights” series on Leadership and Managing People and has been a contributing commentator for the BBC Capital’s Work Ethic column.

Alain Lempereur promotes his “responsible negotiation” framework worldwide and applies it to leadership, mediation, and humanitarian challenges. He has published a dozen books, including The First Move: A Negotiator’s Companion and Mediation: Negotiation by other Moves. He has also contributed to more than 100 articles and book chapters.

After getting a research doctorate in law from Harvard Law School and degrees at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Lempereur spent 25 years consulting and providing executive training for international organizations, national governments, global consulting firms, and corporations in 70 countries. He founded negotiation and leadership initiatives in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe and was the founding director of IRENÉ – a European negotiation institute he led for 15 years at ESSEC Business School.

Together, Lee and Lempereur serve as faculty leads for the Program on Negotiation’s Harvard Mediation Intensive program.

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