ADR Day 2025 – A Day for Lawyers and Neutrals
Date: Nov 6, 2025 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick, and Online
Member Price: $185.00
Non-Member Price: $254.00
Section Price: $185.00
Areas of Law: Dispute Resolution
Earn up to 7.3 credits, including 1.8 in Diversity! (More Information)
Keynote
- Dr. Julien Musolino
- Professor, Cognitive Scientist, Rutgers University
Moderator
- Yvette Gibbons, Esq.
- Chair, New JerseySBA Dispute Resolution Section
Employment Compliance Strategies, LLC, South Orange
Presenters
- Justice Marie Garibaldi
- American Inn of Court
- Hon. Glenn Berman, J.S.C. (Ret.)
- Of Counsel, Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP
- Hon. Karen M. Cassidy, A.J.S.C. (Ret.)
- Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan, LLC
- Hon. Lisa F. Chrystal, PJFP (Ret.)
- Brach Eichler LLCis counsel to Brach Eichler, LLC in Roseland, New Jersey, where she concentrates her practice in alternative dispute resolution, mediation and arbitration, and discovery management. She is a former Presiding Judge, Family Division, Union County, and sat in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Appointed to the bench in 2000 by Governor Christine Todd Whitman, she also sat in the Civil Division.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Chrystal maintained a solo litigation practice in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. She also served as Assistant Union County Counsel and was a civil litigator for two law firms before opening her own office. Judge Chrystal served on the Supreme Court Model Jury Charge Committee and is a former Co-Chair of the Union County Minority Concerns Committee. A former Trustee of the Union County Bar Association, she is a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, and the Supreme Court Family Practice Committee, where she serves on the FM/FD Subcommittee. Judge Chrystal is a member of the New Jersey State and Union County Bar Associations, and serves on the Executive Committee of the NJSBA Family Law Section. She has also served on the Family Subcommittee on Mentoring of New Judges.
A former Master of the Richard J. Hughes American Inn of Court, Judge Chrystal is a member of the Barry I. Croland American Inn of Court and The Justice Virginia Long Hudson County American Inn of Court. She has trained newly-appointed judges and those transferring to the Family Division in the Comprehensive Judicial Orientation Program (C.J.O.P.) and co-authored the judges’ “Dissolution Manual.” Judge Chrystal has taught CLE classes for the Union County Bar Association and Ethics for Trial Attorneys for ICLE, and was an Adjunct Legal Writing Instructor at Seton Hall Law School. In 2022 she was the recipient of the prestigious William J. McCloud Award bestowed by the Union County Bar Association, which recognizes significant contributions to the administration of justice in the Family Part.
Judge Chrystal is a graduate of Syracuse University and a cum laude graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law. - Hon. Ellen L. Koblitz, PJAD (Ret.)
- Pashman Stein Walder Hayden
- Hon. Robert B. Kugler, U.S.D.J. (Ret.)
- JAMS ADR
- Hon. Siobhan A. Teare, J.S.C. (Ret.)
- Hon. Mary F. Thurber, J.S.C. (Ret.)
- Pashman Stein Walder Hayden
- Robert E. Bartkus, Esq.
- Anselmi & Carvelli LLP, Morristown
- David B. Beal, Esq.
- Vice President and Corporate Counsel, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark
- Dean L. Burrell, Esq.
- Arbitrator-Mediator, Burrell Dispute Resolution, Morristown
- David Cinotti, Esq.
- Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC, Hackensack
- Harold Coleman, Jr., Esq., CCA
- Harold Coleman Jr., LTD
- Michelle M. Cresti, Esq.
- Macce & Cresti, Clinton
- Steven Curtis, JD, PMP, CSM, CC, UPSP, ITIL
- Broadwell Group- A Technology Service Company
- Dennis A. Estis, Esq.
- Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis, Woodbridge
- Felicia T. Farber, Esq.
- Farber Resolutions, LLC, Wayne
- Perry Farhat, Esq.
- Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, RWJBarnabas Health, Cherry Hill
- Rachel S. Fisher, Esq.
- Proskauer Rose, LLP, New York
- Joseph J. Hocking, Esq.
- Law Office of Joseph J. Hocking LLC, Denville
- Josh Irons
- CEO, River Avenue Digital, Springfield
- Robert E. Margulies, Esq.
- Past Chair, Dispute Resolution Section, New Jersey State Bar Association
Schumann Hanlon Margulies LLC, Jersey City - Bruce P. Matez, Esq., APM
- Weir, LLP, Cherry Hill
- Anthony P. Sciarrillo, Esq.
- Sciarrillo ADR, Cranford
- Cindy B. Wilson, Esq.
- Wilson Family Law LLC, Chatham
Presented in cooperation with the NJSBA School Law Special Committee, the NJSBA Dispute Resolution Section and Justice Marie L. Garibaldi American Inn of Court
This important symposium focuses on two important facts: one – most cases settle, and two – we want our clients to be happy with the outcome.
This one-day seminar will bring together attorneys from both sides of the aisle, providing a unique opportunity for open discussions about the expectations, successful strategies and experiences in ADR from different perspectives. Join plaintiff and defense lawyers, mediators and arbitrators and in-house counsel as you come away with practical, up-to-the-minute information you can immediately use in your practice.
This year’s program features a keynote address by Dr. Julien Musolino, who will talk about how to use cognitive science to win without a trial.
Program Agenda:
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9:00 | Welcome from the Chair
- Yvette Gibbons, Esq., Employment Compliance Strategies, LLC, South Orange -
9:05 | The Science of Staying Out of Court – How to Be the Cognitive Litigator
- Keynote Presentation by Dr. Julien Musolino
In today’s legal landscape where over 90% of cases resolve before trial, effective pre-trial strategy is paramount. Yet, attorneys predominantly rely on intuition and accumulated experience to navigate this critical phase. This often leaves significant strategic advantages on the table. When we rely on a hunch, we miss the critical opportunity to gain an advantage by systematically applying the wealth of insights that cognitive science provides to our cases.In this cutting-edge program, Dr. Julien Musolino introduces a novel framework to optimize pre-trial strategy. By customizing and integrating core principles from behavioral economics, cognitive psychology, data science and decision science, litigators will learn how to build upon their own expertise with a more precise, quantitative, and bias-proof approach. The program will specifically focus on applying these new tools to ADR, thereby transforming mediation and settlement outcomes to deliver maximum client value.
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10:05 | Pre-Litigation Mediation
How do you avoid expensive litigation yet obtain satisfaction for your clients? If you are a neutral, what are important points to keep in mind that will help the parties reach a settlement? Experienced advocates and neutrals will address this and examine some of the best practices in particular areas of law. This will include pre-litigation mediation for in-house counsel.
Moderator:
- Hon. Mary F. Thurber, J.S.C. (Ret.), Pashman Stein Walder Hayden
Speakers:
- Hon. Robert B. Kugler, U.S.D.J. (Ret.), JAMS ADR
- David B. Beal, Esq., Vice President and Corporate Counsel, The Prudential Insurance Company of America
- Rachel S. Fisher, Esq., Proskauer Rose, LLP, New York -
10:55 | Break
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11:05 | The Business of Dispute Resolution – How to Set Up a Practice and Succeed
Successful advocates and neutrals need a solid business behind them. This segment will look at setting up a business, best practices and options so you can choose what is right for you. Topics include company formation, insurance needs, ideas and procedures for marketing success, how to amass value so you can get the highest price when you’re ready to sell, cybersecurity and successful strategies to maximize revenue such as handling mass arbitrations.
Moderator:
- Felicia T. Farber, Esq., Farber Resolutions, LLC, Wayne
Speakers:
- Steven Curtis, JD, PMP, CSM, CC, UPSP, ITIL, Broadwell Group- A Technology Service Company
- Josh Irons, CEO, River Avenue Digital
- Cindy B. Wilson, Esq., Wilson Family Law LLC, Chatham -
12:10 | Lunch
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12:40 | Breakout Session – Choose from Two
- The Growing Area of Employment and Labor Law, and ADR – Tactics for Successful Mediation
Speakers:
- Hon. Mary F. Thurber, J.S.C. (Ret.), Pashman Stein Walder Hayden
- Dean L. Burrell, Esq., Arbitrator-Mediator, Burrell Dispute Resolution, Morristown
- Dispute Resolution in Construction Law
Speakers:
- Robert E. Bartkus, Esq., Anselmi & Carvelli LLP, Morristown
- Dennis A. Estis, Esq., Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis, Woodbridge
- Joseph J. Hocking, Esq., Law Office of Joseph J. Hocking LLC, Denville
- The Growing Area of Employment and Labor Law, and ADR – Tactics for Successful Mediation
- 1:20 | Breakout Sessions – Choose from Two
- Dispute Resolution in Family Law
Moderator:
- Hon. Mary F. Thurber, J.S.C. (Ret.), Pashman Stein Walder Hayden
Speakers:
- Hon. Ellen L. Koblitz, PJAD (Ret.), Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, Hackensack
- Hon. Lisa F. Chrystal, P.J.F.P. (Ret.), Brach Eichler LLC, Roseland
- Bruce P. Matez, Esq., APM, Weir, LLP, Cherry Hill
- Dispute Resolution in Civil Litigation
Moderator:
- Michelle M. Cresti, Esq., Macce & Cresti, Clinton
Speakers:
- Hon. Karen M. Cassidy, A.J.S.C. (Ret.), Bramnick Law, Scotch Plains
- Robert E. Margulies, Esq., Schumann Hanlon Margulies LLC, Jersey City
- Dispute Resolution in Family Law
- 1:50 | Legal Updates on Arbitration and Mediation
Moderator:
- Robert E. Bartkus, Esq., Anselmi & Carvelli LLP, Morristown
Speakers:
- Hon. Glenn Berman, J.S.C. (Ret.), Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP, Woodbridge
- Hon. Mary F. Thurber, J.S.C. (Ret.), Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, Hackensack
- Dean L. Burrell, Esq., Arbitrator-Mediator, Burrell Dispute Resolution, Morristown
- David Cinotti, Esq., Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC, Hackensack
- 2:20 | Break
- 2:30 | Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Their Story – Cultural Competency and Ethics in Dispute Resolution.
Earn your diversity and ethics credits.
Speakers:
- Hon. Siobhan A. Teare, J.S.C. (Ret.)
- Perry Farhat, Esq., Director, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, RWJBarnabas Health
- Bruce P. Matez, Esq., APM, Weir, LLP, Cherry Hill
- 4:00 | Adjourn
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