Alyson Carrel
Clinical Professor
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law | 375 E. Chicago Ave. | Chicago, IL 60660
alysoncarrel.com | a-carrel@law.northwestern.edu | SSRN Page | 312.503.4263 | @alysoncarrel
Alyson is currently developing a holistic competency model for the 21st century legal professional
and exploring the use of emerging technology in dispute resolution
Alyson Carrel is a clinical professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Co-Director of the law school’s nationally-ranked Center on Negotiation, Mediation, and Restorative Justine. Until 2019, she led the law school's legal technology & innovation initiatives as the inaugural Assistant Dean of Law & Technology. Carrel is a tech-curious legal educator and mediator who seeks to understand how technology and innovation are changing the practice of law, dispute resolution, and legal education. She is developing the Delta Model, a new competency model for the 21st-century legal professional, and a set of tools, entitled Design Your Delta, to help legal professionals grow and thrive using a human-centered approach to professional development. She has received grants to purchase wearable cameras for negotiation simulation courses, a fellowship to integrate the A2J Author platform in a mediation advocacy clinic, and launched TEaCH LAW, a demonstration series for instructional technology.
Carrel’s primary motivation is to encourage others to try something new, look at an issue a little differently, and recognize there are many paths forward. When working with students, she models the importance and power of a client-centered approach to lawyering, expands and enhances their problem-solving skillset, exposes them to emerging technologies and the future of law, encourages them to seek a fulfilling career, supports them as they navigate the law school experience, and provides a safe space for difficult conversations.
Carrel is an active leader, presenter, and trainer in dispute resolution. She has provided negotiation and dispute resolution trainings for a wide variety of clients including large law firms like Baker McKenzie, court systems/programs such as the Cook County Juvenile Court Child Protection Mediation Program, government organizations such as HUD, corporations such as Coca-Cola, and nonprofit organizations including the American Bar Association Leadership Institute and Umoja. Carrel has mediated a wide range of disputes and participated as a neutral in several class action racial discrimination settlement disbursements.
Prior to her appointment at Northwestern Law, Carrel was the Training Director at the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR), one of the nation’s largest and longest-running community mediation centers, where she directed the 40-hour mediation skills training and mediated court-referred cases. Before attending law school and prior to working at CCR, Carrel managed the Dependency Mediation Program for the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida, which provides mediation services to parties involved in child protection/dependency matters. She also worked with the Juvenile Mediation Clinic at the University of Florida School of Law, where she helped train and manage law school clinic students in small-claims mediation, victim-offender mediation, and conflict resolution skills.
Carrel received her JD from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she published a case note on drafting an effective ADR contract clause and was the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Dispute Resolution. She received her BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Florida where she wrote a thesis focused on domestic relations mediation.
Co-Director, Center on Negotiation, Mediation, and Restorative Justice (August 2013-present)
Harry B. Reese Teaching Clinical Professor of Law (2021-2022)
Assistant Dean of Law and Technology Initiatives (September 2017-2019)
Clinical Assistant Professor of Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management (2017-2018), appointment by courtesy
Competition Coach:
Northwestern Negotiation Competition Team (1st Place Nationals 2016, 2nd Place Nationals, 2020, National Semi-Finalists 2014, 2015, 2021, 2023)
Northwestern Representation in Mediation Competition Team
Service:
Faculty Advisory Committee, 2023-present
University Learning and Technology Ecosystem Advisory Committee, Learning Applications Subcommittee, 2019-present
Curriculum Committee, 2021-2022
Law-Tech Committee, 2016-2023 (Chair, 2017-2019)
Clinic Strategic Planning Committee, 2019
Lead trainer in 40-hour mediation skills training taught in a variety of settings to individuals and organizations, including the law schools Northwestern School of Law, Chicago-Kent School of Law, DePaul School of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and The John Marshall Law School. Designed and conducted conflict management trainings for groups such as Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, YMCA, HUD, and the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Developed curriculum for law students to teach at-risk youth skills in conflict management
University of Florida Representation in Mediation Competition Team
Managed circuit-wide mediation program for cases involving child abuse, abandonment, and neglect, wrote grant reports, managed grant budget, and analyzed program outcomes.
Dismantling the “Facilitative” “Evaluative” Dichotomy: Reflecting on Riskin’s Grid and Predicting the Future, Discussions in Dispute Resolution: The Formative Articles (Hinshaw, Schneider, and Cole, eds.) (Oxford Univ. Press, 2021)
NEGOTIATION AND LAWYERS (with Art Hinshaw, Leonard Riskin, Chris Guthrie, Richard Reuben, Jennifer Robbennolt, and Nancy Welsh) (West Academic, 2021)
Design Your Delta Blog (with Cat Moon), https://designyourdelta.substack.com/ (launch March 2021)
The Delta Model: A Framework for Reimagining the Legal Profession Pipeline, Legal Insider (July 24, 2020). (https://www.lawinsider.com/resources/featured/the-delta-model-a-framework-for-reimaging-the-legal-profession-pipeline)
Reimagining Settlement with Multi-Party Computation, JTIP Blog (May 16, 2020). (https://jtip.law.northwestern.edu/2020/05/19/reimagining-settlement-with-multi-party-computation/ & https://ssrn.com/abstract=3589457)
Opportunity to Influence at the Intersection of Dispute Resolution and Technology, in Theories of Change for the Dispute Resolution Movement: Actionable Ideas to Revitalize Our Movement (John Lande ed.) (February 6, 2020). (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/abstract_id=3487163 or https://ssrn.com/abstract=3533324)
Mind the Gap: Bringing Technology to the Mediation Table, 2019(2) J. Disp. Resol. 1 (2019) (co-authored with Noam Ebner) (https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=3421097)
Digital Toolbox Pedagogy: Teaching Students to Utilize Technology in Mediation, ACResolutions (July 2019) (co-authored with Noam Ebner)
(http://www.acresolution-digital.org/acresolutionmag/july_2019?pg=24#pg24)
Legal Intelligence Through Artificial Intelligence Requires Emotional Intelligence: A New Competency Model for the 21st Century Legal Professional, 35 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 1153 (2019) (https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=3425333)
Regulating Mediator Practice: Highlights from Europe and the United States, Dispute Resolution Magazine, page 21 (Fall 2017)
Choosing ADR Careers at the Start: It Is Possible - highlighting what motivates individuals to start their career in the ADR field and forego other more prestigious opportunities after graduation, Dispute Resolution Magazine, page 30 (Spring 2015)
Case Note, An ADR Clause by Any Other Name Might Smell as Sweet: England’s High Court of Justice Queens Bench Attempts and Fails to Define What is Not an Enforceable ADR Clause, 2003 J. Disp. Resol. 547 (https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=3444250)
Does Mediation Subvert the Dominant Paradigm and Empower Women? - discussing the role mediation plays in providing an adequate alternative to the litigation system in divorce mediation cases. Presented at the Southeastern Women’s Studies Association Conference, January 1998 (Undergraduate Senior Thesis)
J.D., Certificate in Dispute Resolution
Order of Barristers
Journal of Dispute Resolution, Editor-in-Chief
B.A. with Honors, Interdisciplinary Studies (thesis topic: Divorce Mediation)
2022 AALS Section on Technology, Law and Legal Education Section Award
2018 Women in Legal Technology, Legal Technology Resource Center
2018 ABA-Dispute Resolution Section Chair’s Award
2015-2016 A2J Author Course Project Fellow
2014-2015 Northwestern Digital Learning Fellow
2012-2013 Northwestern Outstanding Small Class Professor
ABA-Dispute Resolution Section
Section Council, 2011-2017
Spring Conference Planning Committee, 2011-2018 (Standing Committee Co-Chair/Conference Chair 2013 - 2018)
Dispute Resolution Fellowship Committee, 2015-2016
Advanced Mediation and Advocacy Skills Institute Faculty, 2014
Law School Committee
Co-Chair, 2008-2010
Representation in Mediation Competition Subcommittee, 2006-2010
American Bar Foundation
Fellow, 2014-present
Association of American Law Schools
ADR Section, Executive Committee 2022-present
Co-Chair, NextGen Bar Resources Committee, 2023-present
Technology, Law and Legal Education Section, Founding Member, Executive Committee 2018-2020, Secretary 2019-2020
Center for Conflict Resolution, Chicago
Certified Mediator, 2004-present
Quality and Standards Committee, 2011-2014
Chicago Bar Association
ADR Committee Vice-Chair, 2006
Illinois Access to Justice Commission
Committee Chair, Advocacy in Mediation Subcommittee, 2013-2014
National Conference on Bar Examiners
Content Scope Committee for the NextGen Bar, 2022
Resolution Systems Institute
Board Member, 2018-present
Committee Chair, Executive Director Search, 2024
SubTech
Organizing Committee, 2019-2020
Supreme Court of Florida
Certified Mediator, 1999-2015
Bar Memberships
Illinois, current
Leading a community conversation about improving ADR education in light of the challenges and opportunities presented by online and hybrid learning
ABA Dispute Resolution Annual Spring Conference, May 2023
"The Landscape of Legal Tech & ODR in Legal Education" (with Colin Rule, Amy Schmitz, and Margaret Hagan)
Mapping the connection between legal technology and dispute resolution onto the Delta Model
Mapping the Landscape of Legal Tech & ODR, Texas A&M, March 2023
“The Delta Model Lawyer” (keynote)
Describing how the Delta Model can be used as a mentoring tool to support the professional development of lawyers
National Legal Mentoring Conference, October 2022
“ADR as a First Career: It Is Possible”
Presenting possible paths for individuals seeking a career in dispute resolution before establishing reputations as lawyers and/or judges
ACR-New York Chapter Monthly Roundtable, September 2022
Introducing innovative experiential learning programs
ABA Dispute Resolution Annual Spring Conference, April 2022
Discussing the use of advancing technology to transform settlement options
Settlement in the 21st Century Conference hosted by the Kimball R. and Karen Gatsis Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism, University of Illinois College of Law, April 2022
Discusses the articles, Mind the Gap (co-authored with Noam Ebner) and Reimagining Settlement
Chartered Institute for Arbitrators' Mediation Tech Tracker series, November 2021
Discussing data analytics and assessments in the recruiting process from the law student perspective.
NALP's Using Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and Assessments in the Recruiting Process Summit, October 2021
Discussing innovation in legal education and dispute resolution, the Delta Model, and the UNs recently published climate change report.
Convergence Podcast, August 2021
Introducing Design Your Delta as a framework utilizing the Delta Model to develop and assess professional development, ACLEA 57th Annual Conference, July 2021
Exploring the many lessons learned from our shared and unique experiences throughout the COVID pandemic.
TRB Retrospective, June 2021
Introducing a new training approach for corporate counsel dispute prevention initiatives.
2021 International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution Annual Meeting, January 2021
Encouraging legal teams to embrace lessons from other professions and gain a deeper appreciation for the power of data, technology, and process improvement.
North Carolina Bar Association’s Ethical Practice in a Virtual World Program, December 2020
Discussing strategies and considerations for pursuing a career in ADR after law school
Harvard Negotiation Law Review and Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program, October 2020
Urging mediators to embrace the increasing use of technology in our field and dream of new possibilities
Annual Academy for Professional Family Mediation Conference, October 2020
Introducing the Delta Model as a more holistic framework for professional development
Minnesota State Bar Association's Practice Law Conference, October 2020
Urging lawyers and law-students to leverage the increased use of technology in the face of COVID-19 and innovate negotiation skills, processes, and structures
2020 Lawrence Lecturer at The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law, September 2020
Describing the similarities between innovation and problem-solving and urging mediators to identify opportunities to reimagine our field by recognizing challenges and critiques as opportunities to reimagine our field
2020 Florida Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Center Conference, "Promoting Problem Solving," August 2020
Describing new models for supporting and guiding lawyers and law students
Annual Association of American Law Libraries (AALL) Conference, July 2020
Introducing the Delta Model as a framework for course selection
Passports to Practice, June 2020
Advocating for greater adoption of technology in face to face mediations
ABA Dispute Resolution Annual Spring Conference, May 2020
Introducing the Delta Model to law students as a guide to practice in the 21st-Century
Georgia State University School of Law, January 30, 2020
Discussing the Delta Model as a curricular initiative in legal education.
TI:GER Innovation Conference, Emory University School of Law, January 2020
Introducing the Delta Model and its application as a professional development tool to law students and practicing attorneys.
Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution, William S. Boyd School of Law, UNLV, October 2019
Discussing the ADR field’s need to recognize the connection among law, technology, and dispute resolution skills. Appreciating our Legacy and Engaging the Future: An International Conference for Dispute Resolution Teachers, Scholars, and Leaders
Pepperdine School of Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, June 2019
Advocating for a competency model that includes both technology fluency as well as skills related to emotional intelligence
Georgia State Law Review Symposium, Legal Intelligence through Artificial Intelligence, April 2019
Discussing the use of technology in the traditional, in-person mediation room
University of Florida School of Law Institute for Dispute Resolution Conference, October 2018 (with Noam Ebner)
Association for American Law Schools Annual Conference, January 2019 (panel presentation)
Cook County Law Division Mediation Seminar, February 2019
Introducing the Delta Competency Model as a more comprehensive, inclusive, and iterative model for legal educators, law students, and legal professionals to inform career development
Chicago Legal Innovation & Technology Meet-Up, October 2018
Discussing the changing nature of legal services and the need for a new competency model
University of Florida School of LawFaculty Workshop, October 2018
Discussing the adaptability of the Delta Model to tailor legal education choices to the specific needs of the students and school
Wolters Kluwer Leading Edge Conference, July 2018
Identifying the components to the success of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s TEaCH LAW program
TEACHx, May 2018
CaliCon 2018, June 2018
Exploring possible models for increasing law student tech fluency by systematically incorporating technology skills and problem-solving exercises across the curriculum
Summit on Law & Innovation, Vanderbilt School of Law, April 2018
Highlighting the technological advances used in law and business that will change expectations of mediators in the future
World Mediation Congress, March 2018
Discussing foundational articles in the mediation field and proposed commentaries in advance of a larger book project edited by Andrea Schneider, Sarah Cole, and Art Hinshaw
SEALS conference, July 2017
Exploring how many existing AI applications are more familiar than expected and might make every mediator/arbitrator better at what they do
ABA-DR Annual Conference, April 2017
Sharing innovative teaching methodologies utilizing technology to better engage students and enhance learning,
AALS Annual Conference, January 2017
Discussing new platforms, new devices, and new information available to ADR practitioners and parties through advances in technology
2016 Annual Journal of Conflict Resolution J.D. Melnick Symposium at Cardozo School of Law, November 2016
Exploring the impact and use of disruptive technologies in the dispute resolution field beyond traditional notions of online dispute resolution
ABA-DR Annual Conference, Showcase Program, April 2016
Presenting current curricular initiatives within legal education and proposing law schools incorporate more technology into legal education across the curriculum regardless of subject matter
Chicago Legal Innovations and Technology Meet-Up, February 2016
Demonstrating the value of incorporating technology in the legal education classroom
AALS Teaching Methodologies Video Series, https://vimeo.com/155328791, May 2015
Presenting ways for legal educators to utilize current and emerging technology to better engage tech-savvy students during class including Video-conferencing, Google Apps, Social Networking, and user-created content online
ABA-DR Annual Conference, April 2014
AALS Webinar, March 2015
AALS Clinical Conference, May 2015
Exploring the “truths” perpetuated in our field and analyzing why people in our field propagate such ideas,
ABA-DR Annual Conference, April 2015
Discussing how crowdsourcing may be a tool in ADR research involving public policy issues, specifically in Transgender law
ABA-DR Annual Conference, April 2015
Discussing the flexibility of the mediation process to fit the needs of large-scale issues based on my work designing the Illinois Foreclosure Mediation Training for Resolution Systems Institute
Civil Justice Reform Group Operating Committee Meeting, October 2014
Sharing the unique paths of three younger attorneys who chose and defined a career path in ADR
ABA-DR Annual Conference, April 2014 (led to the creation of the ADR as First Career video blog: http://adras1stcareer.blogspot.com/)
Advocating attorneys assess case appropriateness for mediation, ensuring social justice critiques are considered. And asserting the ethical reasons for using facilitative mediation instead of evaluative
Cook County Law Division, June 2013
Advocating for the use of preparation documents in negotiation curriculum as a way to assess students, build skill, and support practice
AALS Clinical Conference Poster Presentation, May 2013
Discussing the shift in focus from training students as neutrals to training students as advocates in the mediation process
ABA-DR Annual Conference, April 2013
Presenting the various rules and statutes related to ADR for attorneys
Chicago Bar Association, 2012
Introducing law students to concepts and skills for approaching legal issues through an interest-based perspective
University of Chicago School of Law, 2011
Describing a wide variety of approaches for using the singular Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Dispute Resolution Research Center Prosando exercise and related materials
Northwestern Kellogg Negotiation & Teamwork Teaching Workshop, 2011
Training for certified mediators on the unique aspects of mediating foreclosure cases in the Circuit Court of Cook County
Circuit Court of Cook County, semi-monthly 2010
Comparing and contrasting the questions a mediator asks with those of a journalist, investigator, and litigator,
ABA-DR Annual Conference, 2009
Discussing CCR’s mediation model and how it fits into The New New Grid system designed by Professor Leonard Riskin
CCR’s Annual PeaceWeek 2004
Discussing strategies for administering and utilizing mediation in disputes involving juveniles
Missouri’s 13th Circuit Family Court and Bono County Bar Mediation Committee, 2004
Discussing the successful implementation of Dependency Mediation programs to court administrators, judges, and agencies
4th Annual Florida Dependency Summit, August 2000
Discussing the role mediation plays in providing an adequate alternative to the litigation system in divorce mediation cases
Southeastern Women’s Studies Association Conference, January 1998
Practicing negotiation tactics and strategies with an intense focus on planning and analysis for lawyers, business executives, managers and staff
Clients have included: Law firms such as Baker McKenzie, Start-Ups such as HomeChef, and Non-Profit Organizations such as Gift of Hope
Introducing peer mediation and how it successfully de-escalates conflict in the elementary and secondary school settings
Urban School Improvement Network of University of Chicago, 2010
Discussing ethical concerns in the mediation setting for newly trained mediators
National Judicial College, annually 2008-2010
Providing an opportunity for members of the Avodah Service Corp to explore communication and conflict in their communal living situation
Avodah, 2007
Discussing how conflict arises and skills for de-escalating conflict in urban high schools
Umoja Student Development Corporation, 2007
Training on facilitation skills for Chicago Public School Local School Council facilitators tasked with managing meetings among parents, community members and school officials
Chicago Public Schools, 2007
Presenting key elements to enforceable ADR clauses in a contracts
TAP Pharmaceuticals, 2007
Engaging lawyers in effective problem-solving by sharing approaches and strategies mediators regularly use to effectively resolve disputes, and how lawyers can benefit from implementing these same approaches in their everyday practice of law
Sidley Austin LLP, 2007
Engaging at-risk youth to conflict management approaches and concepts in the international setting
FreeStreet, 2005
Comparing interest and rights based approaches to responding to grievances in the Ryan White Care Act, Title I (now Part A) agencies
Chicago Department of Public Health, quarterly 2005-2012
Providing framework for constructive feedback in skills-based trainings
Center for Conflict Resolution, semiannually 2004-2012
Discussing the impact of conflict in the workplace and presenting the “Express & Explore” framework for handling difficult situations
Presented regularly at organizations such as YMCA, TAP Pharmaceuticals, Federal Reserve Bank, average four sessions annually 2004-2012