I’m using this blog as a forum to plug one of my client’s ventures.
On November 8 at 1PM (eastern), the Internet Bar Institute will be hosting a webinar entitled GOVERNMENT 2.0: REDEFINING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION.
The webinar is the second in a series regarding “The Future of Justice”. More specifically, the series is about Online Dispute Resolution, and this particular webinar focuses on ODR’s relationship with the government.
Internet Bar Organization believes that ODR is a vital piece in providing equal access to justice on a global level. I strongly agree with this, which is why I’ve had some sort of affiliation continuously since I first took Law and the World Wide Web, a course taught at UMass by Jeff Aresty, IBO president.
This webinar is FREE, I should add, and anyone interested in ODR should attend. Anyone now involved in mediation should attend, even if you don’t see ODR in the future, because if you don’t see using technology in your future of business then you should think about businesses in the 1980s who didn’t see computers in their future.
The webinar registration link is http://iboinstitute.ning.com/events/govt2point0.
The speakers are well-respected experts in their field.
Darin Thompson – Legal Counsel, British Colombia Ministry of Attorney General, Justice Services Branch
Colin Rule – CEO at Modria, Inc., one of the leading ODR providers for Government
Larry Schooler – Mediator/Community Engagement Consultant, City of Austin
Fellow, Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, UT Austin
Daniel Rainey – Director, Alternative Dispute Resolution Services at The National Mediation Board
Here is what IBO has posted about their webinar.
As deficits grow and tax revenues dwindle, governments are forced to make difficult decisions on which services and functions are necessary, which are expendable, and which are superfluous. At the same time, citizens and businesses are demanding more access to information, easier forms of communication, and greater efficiencies in government’s role as intermediary to dispute resolution.
Technology’s ability to meet the needs of both citizens and government is obvious. However, with varying degrees of citizen capacity and resources, which technologies are best suited? Will citizens without high-speed access to the internet ultimately have less ability to engage with government or partake in its services? How do we address the access and knowledge divide? Are virtual service channels and remote engagement sufficient replacements to old-fashioned town halls and courthouses? How can costly and inefficient in-person traditional government forums be replicated or replaced for the digital age? Should they be? Are technology-mediated dispute resolution systems an organic evolution of our times or a fiscal necessity?
Join an esteemed panel of experts on the use of innovative dispute resolution technologies by governments in the 21st century and learn about the tools and technologies you, as mediators, lawyers, government officials and citizens, will soon be using to communicate with governments on local, provincial, state and even, perhaps, international levels.
“Government 2.0 – Redefining Civic Engagement and Dispute Resolution” is the second in a series of talks, seminars and workshops for increasing awareness and knowledge of the emerging e-justice system.
This series will aid international justice professionals in developing the skills necessary to be effective participants in the global technology-mediated marketplace. Participants in our programs will meet leading practitioners in the field and be a part of the growing community that is shaping new legal business models that will define our information society.
Robert E. Wronski, Jr. 
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