Online Dispute Resolution Resolving Conflicts in Cyberspace

An essential tool for dispute resolution professionals as well as for anyone considering using dispute resolution in their lives and work, Online Dispute Resolution explains the many diverse and unique applications of doing conflict resolution online. The expert authors examine the tremendous growth of online dispute resolution-including its use by eBay and other e-commerce companies-and reveal the enormous possibilities to come, along with the many employment opportunities for practitioners in the field. They show how the online environment will affect the role of those who are concerned with dispute resolution just as it has brought changes to those who practice law, sell stocks, or run for office. For those who see the value of technology as a critical building block in the future of dispute resolution, Online Dispute Resolution will be an indispensable resource.

ETHAN KATSH is professor of legal studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and codirector of the Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution. He is the author of Law in a Digital World (1995) and The Electronic Media and the Transformation of Law (1989). During the last ten years, he has worked on many projects involving the application of technology to law and legal processes, and has received support for his work from the Hewlett and Markle Foundations. JANET RIFKIN is professor and chair of the Legal Studies Department at the University of Massachusetts and codirector of the university's Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution. She has conducted seminars and workshops on mediation and dispute resolution throughout the United States and internationally.