MAD Conference 2021
Making a Difference Conference
"Dialogue Skills for Lawyers Who Lead"
Hosted by Baylor Law and LEAD Counsel
Friday, March 5, 2021, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM CST
• FREE • VIRTUAL EVENT •
An Open Invitation
The goal of the Making a Difference Conference is to inspire law students and lawyers to use their legal training to make meaningful contributions to their communities.
This year’s LEAD Counsel Making a Difference Conference will focus upon the importance of effective communication. A leader creates conversational culture. What can a leader do when something seems un-discussable and people revert to silence or antagonism? This workshop will introduce you to tools and techniques from Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) that can open conversation, even on the most "third-rail" issues. Originating in the US in 1989, RSD is now used across the country and around the world to help divided people talk and listen in new ways.
For additional information, please contact LEADCounsel@baylor.edu.
Baylor law students will receive two dual professional and leadership development credits for attending the full conference.*
*If you are a non-Baylor law student but have a similar requirement for professional development at your institution, please email LEADCounsel@baylor.edu with the correct contact information at your law school. We will contact your school regarding credit for your attendance.
About the Speakers
Raytheon “Raye” M. Rawls
Senior Public Service Associate, University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
At the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Raye is a senior faculty member with a focus in mediation and other alternative dispute resolution processes as well as dialogue. She is an attorney, a member of the State Bar of Georgia and has mediated and arbitrated thousands of cases in government institutions, court systems, corporations and with private parties. In addition, her courses have been approved by several state bar associations, the National Association of Social Workers and other professional organizations. In 2018, she received the Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of alternative dispute resolution in Georgia.
Prior to joining the Fanning Institute in 2004, Raye worked in the private sector teaching and providing services in mediation, arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution and conflict management. She was also an Administrative Law Judge in the State of Georgia and a former assistant dean of the Georgia State University College Law.
Robert "Bob" R. Stains, Jr.
Principal of Bob Stains and Associates, Conflict Transformation and a Senior Associate of Essential Partners, f/k/a The Public Conversations Project
Bob Stains is a seasoned facilitator of challenging conversations about identity, religion and values and has trained over 30,000 professionals in communication and dialogue facilitation skills in the US and abroad. He is the Principal of Bob Stains and Associates, Conflict Transformation and a Senior Associate of Essential Partners, f/k/a The Public Conversations Project.
Bob helped build the Public Conversations Project –a pioneer of the modern dialogue movement- from a small local group to an internationally-renowned team of practitioners, trainers and consultants. His work with PCP has been honored by the American Family Therapy Academy and other organizations.
Bob advises leaders on preventing and engaging conflict and is currently working with organizations in the US and six other countries. For 15 years he consulted to the Harvard Negotiation Project and has taught dialogue at Pepperdine and Mitchell-Hamline universities' schools of law and Harvard Divinity School. He currently serves as a Visiting Researcher at the Boston University School of Theology's Program in Religion and Conflict Transformation.
The LEAD Counsel Making a Difference Conference is sponsored by the litigation law firm of FVF Law | Fogelman & Von Flatern.
Josh Fogelman and Aaron von Flatern, both Baylor Law grads, worked together at a small litigation firm in Austin, where they successfully handled a variety of complex cases and developed a close friendship. Working together, Josh and Aaron recognized they shared the same values about personal injury law: that people whose lives have been unexpectedly disrupted should be treated with respect and transparency, and be given the best opportunity possible to pick up the pieces and move forward. So, in 2014, Josh and Aaron founded FVF with the mission of educating injured Texans so they can better understand their options and make informed decisions. By undertaking this mission one person at a time, it is their ultimate goal to change the way the public perceives personal injury lawyers, and instill trust back into this area of practice.
