Future-Ready Dispute Resolution: The Three Trends Every Mediator Should Understand
Dispute resolution is evolving rapidly, and the changes underway are already reshaping how mediators and arbitrators build, position, and sustain their practices.
In this one-hour CME webinar, Susan Guthrie explores the three most significant trends shaping dispute resolution today and explains why they matter not just in theory, but in the day-to-day realities of professional practice.
This program focuses on:
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The growing role of artificial intelligence as infrastructure in dispute resolution
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The profession’s shift away from hourly billing toward more strategic, value-based pricing models
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The increasing importance of specialization as new practice areas and client needs emerge
Drawing on current developments, real-world experience, and insights from Susan’s work on The Business Planning Playbook, this session emphasizes a core concept mediators need to understand: a practice is not static. It must evolve as the field and the world around it change.
Participants will leave with:
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A clearer understanding of how these trends are impacting dispute resolution now and in the near future
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Practical guidance on using AI as a planning and research tool, not a replacement for professional judgment
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Insight into how pricing and specialization decisions affect sustainability and growth
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Concrete ideas for updating their own business and professional development plans
This program is designed for mediators and dispute resolution professionals who want to remain effective, relevant, and future-ready.
**Pending approval for 1.0 hour of CME credit (0.0 ethics) by the Supreme Court of Virginia** A recording of the webinar will be available to registrants for 30 days following the session.
VMN Members $10
Non-members $35
VMN Student Member $5
Non-member Students $15
Presenter Bio: Susan Guthrie
Susan Guthrie is an attorney, mediator, author, and practice-building consultant with more than three decades of experience in dispute resolution and legal practice. She is a nationally recognized speaker on mediation, professional ethics, practice development, and the evolving role of technology in dispute resolution.
Susan is the creator and host of The Practice Playbook Podcast, where she explores strategies for building sustainable, future-ready dispute resolution practices, and she is the author of The Practice Playbook Series, including The Business Planning Playbook. Her work focuses on helping mediators and dispute resolution professionals adapt thoughtfully to changes in the field while maintaining professional standards and ethical integrity.
Through her consulting, writing, and teaching, Susan regularly works with mediators across jurisdictions to address issues of pricing, specialization, and professional sustainability, making her well qualified to present on emerging trends shaping mediation practice.
