The Red Velvet Lawyer

Feeling Like a  Master of the Universe! As many of you know, I spent the last year in a mastermind business coaching program that has made me comfortable with web-based platforms designed to build communities, deliver content, and market services.   I have proved that old dogs can learn new tricks.  In fact, this old dog is teaching the new tricks to folks much younger than myself.  My latest focus is on the "flipped" or "blended" classroom. These classes use the best of on-line education married with more traditional classroom approaches.   The Instructional Technology blog from Albany Law School provides a number of links to information about the "flipped" classroom.   Other resources include the following: Sean F. Nolan, Using Distance Learning to Teach Environmental Problem-Solving Skills and Theory , 28 J. Envt'l Law & Litigation 211 (2013). Gerald F. Hess, Blended Courses in Law School: The Best of Online and Face-to-Fa

Remembering  How I Became  a Teacher My mom, Jo Ann Drinkwater Young, died of colon cancer this month seventeen years ago.  She was only 61. Her death caused me to live life with more urgency, intention, and love. Last week, a family friend sent some photos of her as a teenager that I had not seen before.  She is posing with her best friend, Leotta, shortly before Leotta's wedding.  Mom was seventeen or eighteen years old.  Even dolled up as the bridesmaid (blue dress on right), she still looks so very young. She married at eighteen, had four kids by the time she was 24 years old, was always a loving and supportive spouse, and gave me a very happy childhood. Despite her youthful commitment to family, she had an old soul, even as a young mother. To say I miss her is an understatement. To say that her death released an energy in me to live the life I wanted would be deeply true.   As many of you know, I am celebrating my silver jubilee birthday (60th) celebratio

60,000  Page Views Friends, family, and colleagues: Another milestone reached! 60,000 page views! My blogging experience started in March 2013. Like everything, success relates directly to the attention and energy invested in the project. As I blogged more frequently, built my relationship with other bloggers, got more posts shared by my FB friends, and continued to create content I hoped you would like, page views grew exponentially. Here is a summary of my experience: 5,000 page views on August 2013. 10,000 page views on November 7, 2013. 15,000 page views on November 27, 2013. 20,000 page views on December 9, 2013. 25,000 page views on January 1, 2014. 50,000 page views on July 17, 2014. 60,000 page views on Oct. 10, 2014.

Meeting of my "Tribe" Plenary Sessions Offered by Leaders in the Field Last week-end, over 85 members of the Virginia Mediation Network (VMN) gathered for its Fall training conference. VMN is the largest state-wide organization of mediation practitioners, trainers, and scholars in Virginia.   Attendees enjoyed clear fall weather at the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel in Glen Allen, Virginia, a lovely Colonial-style facility on 20-acres of park/golf course just north of Richmond.   The 2-day event offered three plenary presentations by leaders in the field: Plenary Session on Careers in the Field On Saturday morning, Bob Rhudy presented a Plenary Session based on his article, “ Engaging Conflict for Fun and Profit: Current and Emerging Career Trends in Conflict Resolution .” His paper on the topic appears here . During this interactive session, Bob shared the results of his research and engaged participants in a discussion about the emerging care

Recognizing the Leaders  in Our Field Last week-end, the Virginia Mediation Network (VMN) bestowed its highest honor on my friend and colleague, Jeanette Twomey. This award is presented annually to a prominent member of the mediation community in Virginia who demonstrates personal and professional commitment to advancing peaceful conflict resolution. Candidates are recognized for one or more of the following qualities: leadership in promoting and advancing the field of mediation;  innovation in the development of mediation programs or creative applications of mediation;  significant published writings on the subject of mediation;  exemplary pro bono mediation service;  cutting edge advanced mediation training; or  dedication of time and energy to an active mediation practice that supports collaborative problem solving.  Candidates must exemplify personal and professional integrity and respect for others, as well as demonstrated commitment to continuing growth of high

Opportunities to Serve the School, the Community, and the Profession This week, we held a bar-b-que that gave student organizations an opportunity to recruit members.   I profiled all, or nearly all, of ASL's student organizations in a series of posts beginning in August 31, 2013 that continued through October 2013. They are: Pro Bono Legal Service Providers: Court Appointed Special Advocates ( CASA )  VITA Tax Services ( VITA )  Great Eastern Trail Project ( GET )  Law Journals: Appalachian Journal of Law ( AJoL ) Appalachian Natural Resources Law Journal ( ANRLJ ) Student Government: Student Bar Association (SBA) Legislative Branch Executive Branch Standing Committees Honor Court Legal Fraternities: Blackwell Inn Phi Delta Phi ( PDP )  Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( PAD )  Focus on Substantive Law: ADR Society   Criminal Law Society ( CLS )  Education Law Society ( ELS )  Energy and Mineral Law Society ( EMLS )  Env

Tell Your Story! This invitation comes from one of my very ambitious ADR colleagues. Please take her up on the invitation to share your stories. Hi all, I wanted to share with you a new video blog project I started focusing on ADR as a first career. This video blog is a place to share and read about individuals who chose to begin their professional career in the ADR field. Check it out at here . The purpose of the blog is to explore how successful the next generation of ADR professionals has been in pursuing careers in ADR straight out of law school or graduate school. To do so, I am trying to gather ADR as first career stories by encouraging folks to upload videos about their own experiences or schedule an interview with me in which I will create a video to upload on their behalf. It is very simple to do (you can see others have already started participating), and you can even create your own video straight from the blog itself. I’d love it if you would share