This event was co-sponsored by New Jersey LERA, the LERA National Chapter Advisory Council, the LERA Membership Committee, and the LERA Dispute Resolution Interest Section.
Moderator: Jonathan Cohen, Plosia Cohen LLC, and New Jersey LERA President
Keith will walk arbitrators, mediators, and advocates through how to setup, manage, and conduct an arbitration remotely using Zoom technology.
Topic 2. Mock Arbitration in the Zoom (Virtual) Setting
Arbitrator Greenberg will conduct a mock arbitration, during which our union and management attorneys will offer direct and cross examination of a mock grievant. The arbitration will explore challenges and issues to understand in a remote setting and address concerns of advocates including document presentation and more. Additionally, arbitrator Greenberg will demonstrate how to establish and communicate guidelines at the beginning of a remote arbitration process.
Union and management attorneys will describe the approaches that were taken during the mock arbitration as well as provide their experience and insight as to when/how/why remote arbitration can be advantageous or appropriate.
Mediator Cheng will discuss how to conduct a remote mediation, the manner in which it differs from an in-person mediation, the use of breakout rooms and other technological nuances unique to the remote mediation format.
The arbitrator, mediator, management and union attorney will join together for a panel discussion addressing concerning ethical challenges presented by the remote ADR format. They will also answer questions from the audience regarding ethical considerations and other issues that were demonstrated in the mock arbitration recording.
Participating local LERA Chapters will be applying for CLE credits for attorneys who practice in their state. Each participating local LERA chapter will work to obtain the maximum number of CLE credits in their respective state.
Participating LERA Chapters by State for CLE's
Maine - Maine LERA: Contact Annalee Rosenblatt, CLE Coordinator, [email protected]
New Jersey - NJ LERA: Contact Lucille Alfano, Vice President, [email protected]
New York - NYC Chapter LERA: Contact Alex Franchilli, President, [email protected]
Ohio -COLERA (Central): Contact Kate Nicholson, CLE Coordinator, [email protected]
Most states require a certain number of CLE credits per reporting period. Only a few jurisdictions have no CLE requirements for lawyers: the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and South Dakota.
Attendees are currently registered from the following states: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
Paul A. Montalbano, Esq. Labor Attorney, Cohen, Leder, Montalbano & Connaughton (Treasurer)
William Dwyer, National LERA Representative
Felice Busto, Arbitrator/Mediator
Lisa Charles, Arbitrator/Mediator
James Cooney, Arbitrator
Bernie Corrigan, IBEW
Patrick Duncan, Esq. BOE
Ken Egger, AAA
Michael Freeman, NJ State PBA
James Kinney, Arbirtrator/Mediator
David Leach, NLRB
Adam Optiz, Rutgers University
Kurt Rebovich, NSBA
Erica Tener, Arbitrator/Mediator
Lorraine Tesauro, NJEA
John Vreeland, Esq. Genova Burns
Patrick Westerkamp, Arbitrator/Mediator
Ernest Whelan, NJSBM
LERA National Chapter Advisory Council
William Canak, Middle Tennessee State University, Chair
Bonnie Castrey, Arbitrator/Mediator, Vice Chair
LERA Membership Committee
Cynthia Furseth, PGE (ret.), Co-Chair
David Lewin, UCLA (ret.) Co-Chair
LERA Dispute Resolution Interest Section
Richard D. Fincher, Workplace Resolutions LLC
Nancy E. Peace, Massachusetts Education Partnership
Christine Newhall, American Arbitration Association
Alex Colvin, Cornell University
Janet Gillman, Oregon Employment Relations Board
Mark Gough, Penn State University
COMPLIMENTARY WEEKLY WEBINARS ADDRESSING COVID-19
The Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) is hosting a series of webinars on "Labor and Employment Relations During the COVID-19 Pandemic."
These will all be on Thursdays at or around mid-day New York time, hosted by a mix of LERA Industry Councils, Interest Sections, and Local Chapters. The one-hour facilitated sessions will begin with brief comments by leading experts (5 minutes each), followed by open forum dialogue. The overarching aim is to deepen understanding and appreciation for the breadth of labor and employment relations matters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The outreach to launch these sessions began with the leadership of the Industry Councils, Interest Sections, and Local Chapters. In some cases, we have gone beyond these categories, but they continue to be the point of departure for our planning.
LERA COVID-19 Webinar Organizing Group
Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Brandeis University, LERA Industry Council/Interest Section Coordinating Committee Chair Wilma Liebman, NLRB (former), incoming LERA President-Elect William Canak, MTSU (ret.), LERA NCAC Chair
Past Webinars
April 23rd, 12 - 1 pm Eastern Time (New York Time)
LERA Policy Forum
“COVID-19 Crisis Calls from Government, Industry, and Labor”
The COVID-19 crisis could be a turning point for our labor relations system, if we seize the moment. Join Cathy Feingold (AFL-CIO and ITUC), Alan Wild (HR Policy and (former) IBM), Wilma Liebman (former NLRB), Tom Kochan (MIT) and Sandy Jacoby (UCLA), moderated by Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld (Brandeis), who will discuss the demands this crisis is placing on labor, management and government, and how it presents an opportunity to come out stronger.
Note: This webinar will explore some of the benefits and challenges of conducting mediation, arbitration, and collective bargaining through video conferencing. Speakers will share their experiences in developing and carrying out virtual dispute resolution programs at state and federal government levels and in private practice.
Save the date for the LERA 78th Annual Meeting, May 28-31, 2026 in Minneapolis, MN
