Our Theory and Techniques for the Advocate and Mediator program is a comprehensive, three-week, 40-hour virtual experience designed to advance your mediation skills to new heights. This immersive experience goes beyond the fundamentals, plunging participants into a world of mediation basics, hands-on mediation simulations, and enriching exercises that acquaint you with the multifaceted nature of mediation across various contexts.
Our facilitators will guide you through a curriculum that includes everything from the basic concepts of mediation to crafting a mediated agreement. The course will delve into the essence of conflict, explore the theoretical underpinnings, implicit bias issues in mediations, and practical applications of conflict resolution. Participants will master the art of navigating and negotiating interests while maintaining clear and effective communication with all participants in a mediation.
Engage in dynamic, interactive simulated mediations under the watchful eyes of seasoned coaches, who will provide invaluable feedback to refine your mediation prowess. The course will start with general mediation concepts for a broad-based approach and then an immersive twenty-hour family law training aligned with the Kentucky Supreme Court's Administrative Order 2022-58 and Rule 39/Mediation. This training will ensure compliance and specialization in family law mediation, inclusive of the complexities surrounding domestic and interpersonal violence.
Our all-virtual program via Zoom facilitated through NKU's Canvas, a web-based learning management system, offers a unique learning experience. You will engage in various preparatory work, from scholarly articles and the seminal text "Getting To Yes" to video presentations and role-play simulations that put you in the shoes of an attorney or mediator. This program is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of mediation, preparing you for real-world scenarios.
Mediation Training
For a deeper dive into our mediation training offerings, contact Judge Karen Thomas (retired), ADR Center Program Manager, at thomask@nku.edu
The course will start with general mediation concepts for a broad-based approach and then an immersive twenty-hour family law training aligned with the Kentucky Supreme Court's Administrative Order 2022-58 and Rule 39/Mediation. This training will ensure compliance and specialization in family law mediation, inclusive of the complexities surrounding domestic and interpersonal violence. Participants will be responsible for securing the 15 hours of hands-on experience in mediating matters similar to the ones mediated as required under the Order. The center will make every attempt to assist participants in connecting with seasoned mediators to fulfill the hands on requirement.
What Can I Expect?
Below is an overview of the schedule for our fall 2024 training being held October 21-November 6, 2024. Review the Training Agenda for a more detailed look at what to expect.
Day 1. (5.5 Hours) | Monday, October 21 | 9:00-3:30 p.m.* (5.5 Hours) |
Day 2 (3.5 Hours) | Tuesday, October 22 | 12:30-4:30 p.m. (3.5 hours) |
Day 3 (5.5 Hours) | Wednesday, October 23 | 9:00-3:30 p.m. (5.5 Hours) |
Day 4 (Family Law) | Monday, October 28 | 9:00-3:30 p.m. (5.5 Hours) |
Day 5 (Family Law) | Wednesday, October 30 | 9:00-3:30 p.m. (5.5 Hours) |
Day 6 (Family Law) | Friday, November 1 | 9:00-3:30 p.m. (5.5 Hours) |
Day 7 (Family Law) | Monday, November 4 | 9:00-3:30 p.m. (5.5 Hours) |
Day 8 (Wrap Up) | Wednesday, November 6 | 9:00-12:45 p.m. (3.5 Hours) |
Week 1
Monday, October 21 | 9:00-3:30
Tuesday, October 22 | 12:30-4:30
Wednesday, October 23 | 9:00-3:30
Week 2
Monday, October 28 | 9:00-3:30
Wednesday, October 30 | 9:00-3:30
Friday, November 1 | 9:00-3:30
Week 3
Monday, November 4 | 9:00-3:30
Wednesday, November 6 | 9:00-12:45
Course content consists of 40 hours of synchronous (virtual conducted via Zoom) instruction along with several hours of asynchronous preparation (i.e. reading materials, videos and assessments).
Early Bird: $1000
*early bird registration ends on September 30th
(registration paid via credit card will incur fees via Eventbrite; NKU accepts Visa, Mastercard and Discover)
Regular Admission: $1200
(registration paid via credit card will incur fees via Eventbrite; NKU accepts Visa, Mastercard and Discover)
Act Now!
Registration is limited to the first 30 registrants.
G. Keith Gambrel has been a dedicated member of the Kentucky bar since 1998, with a solid educational foundation from the University of Kentucky, Union College, and Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Keith has built a diverse legal career. Keith’s passion lies in family mediation. Over the past 20 years, he has represented thousands of families in Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse cases. He has mediated over 1,150 cases, primarily focusing on family law, including probate, personal injury, and construction contracts.
Keith’s commitment to the legal community is evident through his service on the Board of Directors for the Northern Kentucky Bar Association and Northern Kentucky Collaborative Family Law. He remains an active member of several professional organizations, including the Kentucky Bar Association, Northern Kentucky Bar Association, Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys, and the American Bar Association. In addition to his mediation work, Keith handles cases in domestic relations, personal injury, criminal defense, and serves as a Guardian Ad Litem in the Campbell County Family Court. His extensive and diverse experience, spanning over two decades, makes him a trusted advocate for families in need.
Professor Amy Halbrook is the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and Director the NKU Chase Children's Law Center Clinic, a partnership between Chase College of Law and the Children's Law Center in Covington, Kentucky. She has represented clients in a wide range of court proceedings, including domestic violence, child protection, high-conflict custody, juvenile justice, school discipline, and special education matters. Much of her current work involves representing children in criminal, domestic violence and child welfare matters.
Before joining the Chase faculty, Professor Halbrook completed clinical teaching fellowships in Northwestern University School of Law's Children and Family Justice Center and Loyola University Chicago’s Civitas ChildLaw Clinic. She is a certified trainer in the National Juvenile Defender Center’s Juvenile Training Immersion Program. She has served as a trial skills trainer for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and the American Bar Association. In addition to the Clinic, she teaches Family Law, Family Law Mediation, Juvenile Law, and Client-Centered Practice at Chase. She is a member of the boards of the NKU Alternative Dispute Resolution Center and Community Restorative Justice-Covington.
Jim has been in the legal profession for over a third of a century, and still believes in making a difference in his clients’ lives. He concentrates his efforts in family law, mediation, plaintiffs’ personal injury work, and general litigation. A life-long Northern Kentucky resident, Jim is a graduate of Covington Catholic High School, Xavier University, and Chase
College of Law. Demonstrating his commitment to local non-profit organizations, Jim serves on the Boards of the Children’s Law Center, Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, and the Northern Kentucky Bar Foundation.
Jim is licensed to practice in Kentucky and Ohio, and is an experienced mediator, having facilitated over 1,000 mediations to successful conclusion.
Dr. Lambert South is a Professor in Communication Studies. She received her Ph.D. in family communication from the University of Denver, her M.A. in interpersonal communication from Texas Tech University, and her B.A. in communication and psychology from the University of Kansas. She received her J.D. from NKU Chase College of Law in 2020.
Her areas of expertise include divorce, stepfamilies, co-parenting, family favoritism, adolescent residential treatment centers, and conversations surrounding death. She also has general expertise in communication strategies, interpersonal communication, and business communication. Professor Lambert South is widely involved in the NKU community both on- and off-campus. In addition to serving as a Mediator for the Northern Kentucky Alternative Dispute Resolution Center, she is the Chair of the NKU IRB, and is the Communication Studies and Health Communication program director. Dr. Lambert South is active force in the communication discipline and has served as the Chair of the Family Communication and Master’s Education divisions for the National Communication Association. She has also served as the Chair of the Interpersonal and Small Group Interest Group for the Central States Communication Association. She is active on numerous review boards and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Family Communication, Women and Language, and the Journal of Communication Pedagogy. Dr. South is also an experienced family law mediator and member of the NKU Alternative Dispute Resolution Center Board of Advisors.
Hon. John M. McCarty, Retired District Judge, 38th Judicial District / Family Circuit
Judge, 6th Judicial Circuit. During his time on the bench, Judge John McCarty represented Butler, Edmonson, Hancock and Ohio Counties as District Court Judge and for three years, Daviess County as Circuit Family Court Judge. He was sworn in to the bench in September 2001.
He previously served as President of the District Judges Association and has served on the Education and Legislative Committees of the Association, a member of the Court Technology Governance Committee and the E-filing Steering Committee. In addition to his regular duties, Judge McCarty oversaw a misdemeanor/felony Drug Court and a pilot DUI Court in his jurisdiction as well as a Teen Court in Ohio County.
Judge McCarty is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture and the University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law. Prior to his appointment, Judge McCarty practiced law for 22 years, primarily in Hancock and Daviess Counties. For a short period, he served as Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 38th Judicial Circuit.
Judge
McCarty has served as a long term faculty member for the Kentucky Judicial
Colleges having presented on numerous topics. Presently he serves as an
assignment Judge for the Senior Judge Program and as a felony mediator. He has
served as ABA Kentucky Judicial Outreach Liaison since he retired in 2023.
Pastor Edward L. Palmer Sr. is the visionary, senior pastor, and co-pastor with his wife Elizabeth (Angie) Palmer for The Sign of The Dove Church International located in Radcliff, Kentucky. He is a Certified Diversity Trainer and works to eliminate disproportionate minority contact within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Pastor Palmer is also a Disabled U.S. Army Veteran.
In 2017, Pastor Palmer was the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award winner presented by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin as well as the Courage for Kids Award present by Kentucky Youth Advocates. In May of 2019, he was awarded the Thurgood Marshall Social Justice Impact Award presented by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
Pastor is Former Chair of the State Inner-Agency Council’s Diversity Standing Committee and past Chair of the National Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), and a member of The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He is a certified Racial and Ethnic Disparities Capstone Project Fellow through the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University, and a certified Maxwell Leadership coach, speaker, and trainer.
In the Spring 2021 Juvenile Justice Update, Pastor Palmer co-authored the article “Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game: The Importance of Systemic Change to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities.” Pastor has served the citizens of his city for five terms as a Radcliff City councilman and is currently serving as a Certified Police Chaplin. He has shared his passion for racial equality from Washington State to Washington D.C., to Princeton University, and many other locations across the nation. His implicit bias training was involved in a process of evaluation with John Hopkins University and proven to be effective. Pastor Palmer operates with undeniable vision and unyielding passion for the purposeful course on which God has set him, running his race with patience, diligence, vigilance, and effectiveness.
Judge Karen A. Thomas, (retired)was appointed to the Campbell County District Court Bench in October 1996 and named Chief Regional Judge for the Northern Region in 2001. She has served as Chair of the Kentucky District Judges Association Education Committee, 2000 until 2023, and Chair of the District Judges Legislative Committee starting in 2007. She was elected President of the Association for two consecutive terms in 2007 and 2009. Judge Thomas retired from the bench in January of 2023 but remains a part of the Senior Judge Program for the Kentucky Court of Justice, Felony Mediator, and is a Family Court Mediator for a pilot program through the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts.
In addition to serving as Campbell County Felony Drug Court Judge and Northern Kentucky Regional Mental Health Court Judge before retirement, she currently is Senior Judge for Northern Kentucky Teen Court, Judge Thomas administers the Northern Kentucky Regional Mental Health Court Program and serves as President of the Board of Directors for same.
She is a recipient of the Chief Justice’s Special Service Award for outstanding service to the Court of Justice, Northern Kentucky University Alumni Association – Professional Achievement Award, Salmon P. Chase College of Law – Award of Excellence, Haile/US Bank College of Business – Dean’s Citation for Outstanding Adjunct, and she also received the Northern Kentucky University – Part-time Faculty Excellence in Instruction Award (2015).
Judge Thomas resides in Newport, Kentucky, where she was born and raised. She is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and Salmon P. Chase College of Law and has served as an adjunct professor for both since 1990. While an adjunct for the College of Business, Judge Thomas has taught various Business Law classes, Business Ethics. CPA Law, Basic Business Law, and upper-division Business Law classes. Judge Thomas also taught in London through the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) from 2007-2014.
In 2024 Judge Thomas accepted the part-time position of Project Manager for the College of Business’s ADR center, where she will assist the Center with mediation training.