An unprecedented partnership between the ILR School's Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution and the American Arbitration Association (AAA) begins this year with a series of seminars.

It will include three jointly sponsored seminars designed for advocates and professional neutrals in 2009 and a new "Cornell Corner" section in the AAA's Dispute Resolution Journal.

The quarterly publication is an internationally recognized resource for advocates, neutrals, parties, educators, public policy leaders and corporate executives.

As part of the agreement with the nation's largest full-service alternative dispute resolution provider, the Scheinman Institute will also update AAA research on whether arbitrators "split the difference" in their awards.

David Lipsky, director of the Scheinman Institute and ILR's Anne Evans Estabrook Professor of Dispute Resolution, said, "The joint enterprise we are launching not only has the potential to significantly improve the practice of dispute resolution but, if our fondest hopes are realized, to transform it."

Seminars on "Labor Arbitration in a Time of Economic Crisis: How the Economy Will Impact How Cases Are Argued by Advocates and Decided by Arbitrators" will be held April 30-May 1 in New York City; Oct. 26-27 in Washington, D.C.; and Nov. 9-10 in San Francisco. Issues to be discussed include the struggling economy's effect on contract interpretation, layoffs, disability and discharge. A panel of arbitrators will discuss ethical dilemmas, computer and Internet issues, and difficult cases.

The Scheinman Institute is the nation's first institute exclusively focused on the study and practice of workplace dispute resolution. Its mission is to educate the next generation of neutrals -- arbitrators, mediators and facilitators -- to resolve workplace disputes.

The AAA, based in New York City, handles disputes in employment, intellectual property, consumer, technology, health care, financial services, construction and international trade conflicts. In addition to education and training, the AAA offers case administration services, arbitrators and mediators.

Mary Catt is the ILR School's staff writer.