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Hon. Leonard B. Austin Selected to Judge the “NYSBA 2022 Mediation Tournament”

News

New York, NY (March 18, 2022) – NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation), one of the nation's leading providers of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services, is pleased to announce that NAM neutral, Hon. Leonard B. Austin (Ret.), has been selected to serve as one four judges in the “New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) 2022 Mediation Tournament.” The annual Tournament will be held on Friday, March 18th and Saturday March 19th.

About the NYSBA Mediation Tournament

The Tournament consists of fourteen teams and is open to students from all law schools or LLM programs.  It provides students with an opportunity to display both their mediation/advocacy and mediator skills. All teams will participate in the preliminary rounds, but only four teams will advance to the final round.  Teams will be scored in components of advocates/clients and separately as mediators.

The judges will observe the mediation process and score the students on the following criteria:

Advocate/Client

  • Presentation of Case in Opening and Throughout
  • Teamwork Between Attorney and Client
  • Information Gathering and Communication with Other Side in Joint Sessions
  • Interaction with the Mediator
  • Caucus

Mediator

  • Interaction with Co-Mediator
  • Handling of Joint Session/Opening Statement
  • Problem-Solving Relationship Building
  • Information Gathering and Communications with the Parties
  • Generating and Selecting Creative Options
  • Caucus

At the Tournament's conclusion, the judges will provide a critique and offer constructive input and guidance to the students, as well as announce the winners.

About Hon. Leonard B. Austin (Ret.) 

Justice Austin remarkable legal career culminated with his ascension to the Appellate Division, Second Department as an Associate Justice. Prior to his term in the Appellate Division, he served as Justice of the Supreme Court in both Suffolk and Nassau Counties in New York.  In Suffolk, he was assigned to the dedicated Matrimonial Part where he worked with parties in fostering resolutions that were in the best interest of all involved and recommended creative solutions to difficult financial and emotional issues. Shortly thereafter, he was assigned to the Commercial Division in Nassau County where he served for nine years and heard and resolved more than 2,000 cases addressing a wide variety of commercial matters including corporate and employment issues, as well as construction contract claims. He is a hard-working and detail-oriented jurist, known for his intelligence, patience, and ability to assist in the resolution of even the most complex matters. Justice Austin is available to arbitrate and mediate cases throughout New York State. He is also available to aid in the drafting of briefs and memoranda of law and in the preparation for oral argument in the appellate and trial courts.