Harvard and The Program on Negotiation is sponsoring an event: The 2014 Harvard Negotiation Law Review Symposium: Political Dialogue and Civility in an Age of Polarization. It will be held at Austin Hall, Harvard Law School Campus on Saturday, March 1, 2014, 9:00 am – 4:30pm. The event will be free and open to public, click the link to register for the event.

Polarization and the damage it causes are evident in political and civic life and  impede a more thoughtful and productive dialogue. Policy makers, lawyers, and scholars will be discussing the ways in which negotiation, mediation, and other dispute resolution skills can improve the quality of our civic engagement and, ultimately, our political system.

The conference’s focus will be on applying ADR principles to overcome the polarization rampant in today’s politics. Panelists will both discuss the theoretical and practical frameworks, with a focus on dispute resolution strategies that have successfully resolved domestic and international policy issues in the past.

Host and producer of the award winning public radio program “On Being”,  Krista Tippett will be the keynote speaker for the event.

Panelists of the event:

• Peter Ambler, Founder, Strategy Director at Americans for Responsible Solutions and Special Adviser at the U.S. Department of Energy
• Tom Bonier, Co-Founder and Partner at Clarity Campaign Labs
• Robert Bordone, Founding Director of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Program on Negotiation
• Jim Flug, whose long political career included and appointment as Chief Counsel to Senator Ted Kennedy
• Carolyn Lukensmeyer, founder of AmericaSpeaks and Consultant to the White House Chief of Staff during the Clinton administration
• Michael Ostrolenk, National Director of the Liberty Coalition

Detailed schedule for the symposium. For more information, please visit HNLR’s website.