FRIDAY, SEPT. 30, 2022 via ZOOM
This conference has received CLE credit for attorneys AND the information presented is directly relevant and useful for all individuals and professionals. Please join us for this informative day!
Virtual Conference with 6.5 Hours of CLE credit, including 1.5 hours of Diversity and Inclusion and 1 hour of Wellness Credit
AGENDA
| 8:30 | Welcome |
| 8:35 – 9:35 | Critical Race Theory (1 hr) |
| 9:35 – 9:45 | Break (10 minutes) |
| 9:45 – 11:15 | Implicit Bias: What it is, why lawyers should care, and what we can do about it (1.5 hr) |
| 11:15 – 11:25 | Break (10 minutes) |
| 11:25 – 11:55 | Enforceability of Mediated Agreements (.5 hr) |
| 11:55 – 12:30 | LUNCH (35 minutes) |
| 12:30 – 1:30 | Restorative Justice (1 hr) |
| 1:30 – 2:30 | Trauma-Informed Practices for you, your clients, staff and office (1 hr) |
| 2:30 – 2:40 | Break (10 minutes) |
| 2:40 – 3:10 | How to Determine Whether Mediation is Appropriate in a Family Case or Any Case (.5 hr) |
| 3:10 – 3:40 | Community Partner in Challenging Legal Situations: Dealing with Wage Theft, Predatory Rental Practices in Mobile Home Parks and more (.5 hr) |
| 3:40 – 4:10 | Community Partner in Challenging Legal Situations: Increasing Re-entry Success Rate (.5 hr) |
PROGRAM AND PRESENTERS
Critical Race Theory
Iowa’s public schools and Iowa’s public higher education institutions have operated under the auspices of HF802 for a full school year. The law has been perceived as an attack on Critical Race Theory. Dean Adrien K. Wing will detail what exactly is CRT from the perspective of someone who has taught the subject for nearly 30 years. How does the law involve or not involve CRT?
Presenter: Dean Adrien K. Wing. Adrien Wing is the Associate Dean for International and Comparative Law Programs and the Bessie Dutton Murray Professor at the University of Iowa College of Law, where she has taught since 1987. Wing currently teaches Critical Race Theory and Sex Discrimination Law. Author of more than 150 publications, Wing is the editor of Critical Race Feminism: A Reader and Global Critical Race Feminism: An International Reader, both from NYU Press, as well as coeditor of the Richard Delgado Reader. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton with high honors in 1978, Wing earned her Master of Arts degree in African studies from UCLA in 1979. She obtained her Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree in 1982 from Stanford Law School.
Implicit Bias: What it is, why lawyers should care, and what we can do about it.
Implicit bias affects almost every aspect of the legal profession. It impacts our decisions as employers and as lawyers interacting with clients. It impacts decision-making of judges and Juries. Yet, lawyers know very little about implicit bias as it is still not taught in law school. Lawyers are often on their own to address a hidden force that can cause serious harm and infuses itself into much of what we do for a living. This program meets CLE requirements for diversity and inclusion but is intended to assist lawyers in taking steps to better understand the risks of implicit bias and its impact on the legal profession.
Presenter: Thomas Newkirk is the founding partner in Newkirk Zwagerman and has been a civil rights attorney practicing in Iowa for more than 30 years. He has devoted the last 20 years to educating himself about implicit bias and developing methods to reduce bias as a risk in employment, the legal and medical professions, and civil and criminal justice. Newkirk is a sought-out specialist in implicit bias and has presented to, educated and trained people across all demographics. His work encourages professionals and organizations to apply science-based advances as they develop policies to reduce the harm created by gender and racial biases in the workplace.
Enforceability of Mediated Agreements
This informative presentation will address the emerging benefits of mediated family law settlement agreements, looking at the statutory obligations of mediators under Iowa Code section 679C and questions regarding the admissibility of information obtained during the course of mediation. The purpose of the presentation is to educate lawyers, mediators and their clients about the best practices to create meaningful mediated outcomes and the role of a mediator in reaching family law settlement agreements, both informal and formal. Topics to discuss will include recent Iowa case law regarding the enforceability of mediated settlement agreements by the district court and friendly advice about how to ensure that a successful mediation can be transformed efficiently into a final legal document suitable for court approval, and tips for what to do when everything falls apart.
Presenters: Judge Kepros was appointed to the district court bench in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Coe College in 1993 and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1996. He worked as a private attorney and family law mediator in Iowa City beginning in 1996 and also served as a Johnson County Magistrate from June 2013 until his appointment to the bench. Judge Kepros is chair of the Sixth Judicial District Mediation Advisory Committee and was an Advanced Practitioner Member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators prior to becoming a judge. Judge Kepros also serves on the Iowa Supreme Court Family Law Case Processing Reform Task Force and co-chairs the Iowa Supreme Court Child Support Guidelines Review Committee.
Alison Werner Smith practices family law at the law offices of Hayek, Moreland, Smith and Bergus, LLC in Iowa City. She graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1998 and served as law clerk for the Fifth Judicial District and the Iowa Court of Appeals. Alison is also a mediator and collaborative professional in family law matters. She has served on numerous bar committees and legal service organizations.
Restorative Justice
Restorative justice is a process for resolving criminal cases that was first introduced to the criminal justice system of a few communities in the U.S. in the mid-1970’s. In an RJ approach trained facilitators invite specific individuals–persons who have been harmed and persons who caused the harm and others to discuss: a) what happened that led to the criminal charge; b) what impact the criminal act(s) had on individuals and on the community; and c) what, in the minds and hearts of the individuals involved in the RJ conference in a given case, should be done to make things right.
Presenters: Jerry Partridge is a retired career prosecutor, the founder of a public safety training company, and a restorative justice facilitator.
Julia Zalenski has worked as a public defender in Johnson County since 2016. Her work as a public defender, as well as her other community involvement, has made her a staunch believer in the transformative power of restorative justice. She graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law, and lives in Iowa City with her husband and two daughters.
Annie Tucker MA in Conflict Resolution has been a mediator for over 25 years and a Restorative Justice facilitator for over 10 years. She is the Director of Mediation Services of Eastern Iowa, a 501(C)3 that is the court-appointed administrator of the 6JD Family Mediation Program and the Johnson County Small Claims Mediation Program.
Brad Kelly is currently in his second year as Restorative Justice Coordinator for the ICCSD. Prior to this role, he worked at SEJH for 4 yrs as SAC Coordinator. My family and I moved to Iowa City 9 years ago from Oakland CA.
Angie Jordan has participated in RJ processes as a community member. She is a family-oriented entrepreneur, and community organizer–her pronouns are she, her, hers; she racially identifies as Mixed. While Angie grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, she was born and spent summers in Iowa City, and has always been fascinated with the interconnections between people, places and progress. After graduating from Williams College, she returned and has been an advocate and activist for change through her professional and personal life by spearheading neighborhood and business revitalization in the South District for almost 15 years. Angie’s aspirations and ideas are motivated by her curiosity tied to actionable steps guided by her values to be the change she seeks while surrounding herself with others who hold themselves accountable and elevate each other in all aspects of life.
Trauma, Trauma-Informed Practices and Creating a Trauma-Informed Organization/Practice
This presentation will increase your knowledge of trauma and your ability to recognize it in clients, other people and yourself. Ms. Hewett will cover trauma-informed practices and other tools for dealing with trauma, including de-escalation. She will discuss ACES: Adverse Childhood Experiences and their effects on children and adults. She will provide information on compassion-fatigue and secondary trauma, which affects people working with traumatized people. She will also provide information on a framework for becoming a trauma-informed organization/business/service provider. Links to specific materials on trauma for attorneys and law practices will be included in the conference materials.
Presenter: Cindy Hewett, LMSW, is the Director of Services at CommUnity in Iowa City. She oversees CommUnity’s Crisis Intervention, Food Bank, and Mobile Crisis Outreach programs. Cindy worked as CommUnity’s Director of Human Resources and as a Mobile Crisis Outreach Counselor. Cindy received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Social Work at the University of Iowa. She regularly provides training on trauma, ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and other topics for professionals and community members.
How to Determine Whether Mediation is Appropriate in a Family Case or Any Case When the court orders parties in family law cases to mediation, it does not screen to determine whether mediation is appropriate. In December 1999 the Iowa Supreme Court Mediation and Domestic Violence Work Group Final Report stated that it is essential to determine whether parties will be safe in mediation and whether they have the capacity to use the mediation process. In the Sixth Judicial District, attorneys and mediators have the responsibility to determine the safety and capacity of the parties before scheduling a mediation. Learn a technique for screening to determine the safety and capacity of the parties. Learn the high lethality behaviors that indicate a high-risk situation. Learn methods for adapting the mediation process and when it might be advisable to minimize contact between the parties. Learn a method for helping the parties prepare for mediation when it has been determined to be appropriate.
Presenter: Annie Tucker, MA in Conflict Resolution, has been mediating for over 25 years and co-created and co-presents the two-day Introduction to Mediation and Domestic Abuse course required for all mediators on the court roster of family mediators in the Sixth Judicial District.
Community Partners: Nonprofits That Provide Non-Legal Support to Parties in Challenging Legal Situations. Their Services May Be Helpful to Your Clients or Others Who Contact You.
Center for Worker Justice (CWJ)
CWJ provides effective support and action in wage theft situations where workers have not been paid for the work they’ve done and in situations where predatory investors charge exorbitant increases in trailer park rent. They also provide support of various kinds to vulnerable immigrant workers and families. CWJ also provides information to local residents about their rights and programs that support their families.
The Center for Worker Justice, CWJ, is an Iowa City nonprofit that pursues social and economic justice through community empowerment, leadership development, popular education, coalition building, organizing, mobilizing, and policy advocacy to drive structural and institutional change.
Inside Out Reentry Community
Inside Out Reentry Community, is a nonprofit based in Iowa City that supports individuals returning to the community after incarceration. They provide resources and support to both incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals to help them plan for their release. Neil Goettsch is the case manager for Inside Out Reentry. He originally started as a volunteer in 2019 before joining the staff. A formerly incarcerated member of Inside Out will also be presenting.
REGISTRATION
- For attorneys and others who want CLE credit: $150/person.
- For all others, including teachers, employees of nonprofits and governments, elected officials, community members, and students: $25 per person.
- If an employer or group of (non-professional) people get together and register five people at once, they can each pay $20. Please contact admin@mediateiowa.org before trying to register using this option.
- If you would like to apply for a scholarship or rate reduction, please email admin@mediateiowa.org. We want all who are interested in these issues to be able to attend.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link a few days prior to the conference.
Please forward this to colleagues, friends, organization members and others who may be interested in these issues!
Download PDF to share here: Access to Justice 2022 and Beyond (PDF)
Registration is now closed.