programs
ACR Online Dispute Resolution Section
The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) is the premiere dispute resolution organization in the United States. Created as a merged organization of the Academy of Family Mediators, the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution, and the Conflict Resolution in Education Network, ACR represents dispute resolution professionals from across a wide spectrum.
In the Spring of 2000 several ODR providers came together to discuss the creation of an organization called CIDR (the Coalition of Internet Dispute Resolvers) to act as a professional association for the ODR field. After much discussion, the decision was made instead to house any ODR association within ACR, the association then being constructed for the ADR field. Discussions between CIDR planners and ACR management made clear the wisdom of such a plan, and as a result ACR created an Online Dispute Resolution Section in late 2000.
Spearheaded by Dan DeStephen and John Helie, the Online Section has emerged as the only professional organization covering the ODR field. The ODR Section serves as the main interface between the ODR field and the public, promoting quality ODR practices and spreading awareness among consumers and professionals alike. Practitioners are coming to identify the Section as the home for ODR news, policy, jobs, and training.
Anyone just getting started in the ODR field should join ACR's Online Section to learn the layout of the field. Any organization exploring the integration of ODR into its business practices should join ACR's Online Section to get access to the rich resevoir of expertise and experience housed within. And any practioner who is currently a member of ACR should consider adding membership to the Online Section to expand the reach of their practice.
To learn more about ACR, click here. To sign up for ACR membership, click here. (If you really want to be nice, tell them Colin Rule sent you in the "Who Referred You?" box!)
If you have any questions about ACR's online section, please send Colin Rule an email.
