From the Track to the Practice: ADR Student Update
Before arriving at law school, most law students have not heard of collaborative law. According to recent graduate Walter Gilson ‘24, taking one course in collaborative law at Maryland Carey Law “changed [his] career” path. Collaborative law is a form of alternative dispute resolution where parties are represented by collaboratively trained lawyers with the intention of resolving the matter without litigation. Collaborative law is most often used in divorce and custody matters, which can be time consuming and costly. Walter was drawn to the idea of replacing “the emotionally and financially troublesome nature of adversarial divorce and custody negotiations” with “a process that values emotional health, respect, and honesty.”
“Eager to get experience in the field,” Walter completed an externship with the Collaborative Law and Justice Center (CLJC) in the Spring of 2024. During the externship, Walter helped bring a first of its kind collaboration with the courts, legal aid, and the CLJC. The CLJC is a non-profit charitable and educational organization that works to achieve better outcomes for individuals and communities through the peaceful resolution of conflict and a more just balancing of interests. CLJC launched a new initiative, the Expedited Collaborative Process, offering pro bono and reduced-fee legal services to the public, with a particular focus on individuals in divorce and custody disputes. The goal was to address the time and cost concerns parties have while maintaining the cooperative two-attorney structure and the benefits, such as control over the process and improved communication and emotional well-being, of the traditional collaborative process. According to CLCJ’s executive director, Connie Kratovil-Lavelle, “the Expedited Collaborative Process promises to resolve divorce and custody matters with less conflict, time and money.”
Externships, like the one with CLJC, provide Maryland Carey Law students with an opportunity to gain extensive experience in an area of practice. Prior to participating in the externship, Walter Gilson completed the Collaborative Law and Practice course, taught by adjunct professors Karen Robbins, Bruce Avery, and Suzy Eckstein, collaborative practitioners. Upon completion of the course students obtain a collaborative practitioner certificate, permitting them to graduate ready to practice collaborative law in the State of Maryland.
Walter completed Maryland Carey Law’s Dispute Resolution Track, and joined the firm Humphreys, McLaughlin & McAleer, LLC in Baltimore, Maryland last fall. He has already begun to apply his ADR knowledge and experience. He currently serves on the Maryland State Bar Association’s (MSBA’s) ADR Section Council. Additional information about Maryland Carey Law’s Dispute Resolution Track can be found here.