ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST: Arbitration and Mediation in the Age of AI (Thursday, July 02, 2026)

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

ACR-GNY & CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College present:

Arbitration and Mediation in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way businesses operate, make decisions, and resolve disputes. As AI technologies become increasingly integrated into commercial relationships, legal processes, and organizational workflows, dispute resolution professionals face new opportunities and challenges. This program explores the evolving role of arbitration and mediation in an AI-driven world, examining how emerging technologies are shaping dispute prevention, case management, evidence gathering, decision-making, and settlement negotiations.

Andrew Barton & Jeffrey T. Zaino, Esq.

Andrew Barton is Vice President of AI Business Development at the American Arbitration Association (AAA), where he helps advance the adoption of innovative dispute resolution tools. With more than 30 years at the AAA, Andrew brings broad experience across case administration, arbitrator education, regional leadership, client development, traditional arbitration services, and emerging technology. His career reflects a practical understanding of dispute resolution and a steady commitment to helping organizations use AAA services effectively.

Andrew joined the AAA in 1995 and resides in San Antonio, Texas.

Jeffrey T. Zaino, Esq. is the Vice President of the Commercial Division of the American Arbitration Association in New York. He oversees administration of the large, complex commercial caseload, user outreach, and panel of commercial neutrals in New York. He joined the Association in 1990. Mr. Zaino is dedicated to promoting ADR methods and services.

He has also written and published extensively on the topics of election reform and ADR, including several podcasts with the ABA, TalksOnLaw, and Corporate Counsel Business, and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and Bloomberg to discuss national election reform efforts and the Help America Vote Act. He was deemed a 2018 Alternative Dispute Resolution Champion by the National Law Journal and received awards for his ADR work from the National Academy of Arbitrators, Region 2 and Long Island Labor and Employment Relations Association. In 2022 he received the Alocott-Leber-Younger Committee of the Year Award from the New York State Bar (NYSBA) Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, and in 2023 the Chairman’s Award, NYSBA Dispute Resolution Section.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The Roundtable Breakfasts are online meetings via Zoom. The link will change each month and will be distributed to all registrants the day before and the morning of the event. All listed times for ACR-GNY events are for Eastern Time.

8:00 am – 8:30 am | Join call to network with attendees

8:30 am – 10:00 am | Presentation and discussion

About the Roundtable Breakfasts

The Roundtable Breakfasts are organized by ACR-GNY and the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College. They take place the first Thursday of the month and are ongoing since 2001.

Views expressed in connection with any Roundtable event publicity or at sessions are those of the speakers and participants and not of the CUNY DRC or ACR-GNY.

This program is supported by ACR-GNY's 365 Sponsor:

ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST: Mediator Certification: Does the U.S. Need a Standard? (Thursday, August 06, 2026)

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT

ACR-GNY & CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College present:

Mediator Certification:
Does the U.S. Need a Standard?

Maybe you are a mediator who is certified by your state court. Perhaps you are a new mediator starting out. You could even be among the fortunate few who have made a successful living as a mediator. Why should you care if there is a standard for certification in the United States?

These are the questions the U.S. National Certification Working Group has been grappling with. Come learn about our efforts to see if now is the time to revisit this question. There has been a lot of interest for certification across the U.S. and around the world. There are benefits, like reciprocity and professionalization. There have also been concerns about need and implementation. Hear what this group has been working on and see what you think.

TARA FISHLER

Tara Fishler is the founder and CEO of Customized Training Solutions, established in 2003 (www.tarafishler.com). Through her company and work with non-profits, she has taught trauma-informed/resilience-based conflict resolution and related skills to thousands of adults and students in schools and organizations. Currently, she is the Statewide Peer Mediation and Restorative Justice Program Coordinator for the NYS Unified Court System. She is also the convenor of the U.S. National Mediator Certification Working Group. Tara is a facilitator, circle-keeper, strategic planning expert, mediator, lemon law arbitrator, and passionate defender of individuals with special needs.

As an Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) leader, Tara has served on the executive committees of ACR (Association for Conflict Resolution), ACR-GNY (Greater New York chapter), and NYSDRA (New York State Dispute Resolution Association), and is currently Secretary of NAMI Westchester (National Alliance for Mental Illness). She has authored articles and published her memoir, Up-Rooted: Climbing Through Family Chaos, through WoodHall Press, which details her life as the divorced mother of four children, including two daughters adopted from Ukraine, and the divorce process through both the courts and mediation as a conflict resolution professional. She is currently writing a children’s book on bullying called Spaghetti Street.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

8:00 am – 8:30 am | Join call to network with attendees

8:30 am – 10:00 am | Presentation and discussion

About the Roundtable Breakfasts

The Roundtable Breakfasts are organized by ACR-GNY and the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College. They take place the first Thursday of the month and are ongoing since 2001.

Views expressed in connection with any Roundtable event publicity or at sessions are those of the speakers and participants and not of the CUNY DRC or ACR-GNY.

ACR-GNY upcoming events

ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST: Arbitration and Mediation in the Age of AI (Thursday, July 02, 2026)

ACR-GNY & CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College present:

Andrew Barton & Jeffrey T. Zaino, Esq.

About the Roundtable Breakfasts

This program is supported by ACR-GNY's 365 Sponsor:

ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST: Mediator Certification: Does the U.S. Need a Standard? (Thursday, August 06, 2026)

ACR-GNY & CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College present:

TARA FISHLER

About the Roundtable Breakfasts

This program is supported by ACR-GNY's 365 Sponsor: