UF’s Institute for Dispute Resolution
It’s a nice feeling when your alma mater does something that makes you proud. As a UF Law alum, I’m quite proud of the UF Institute for Dispute Resolution and proud to be on its advisory board. Founded in 1996, the UF Levin Law School’s Institute for Dispute Resolution[i] provides interdisciplinary research and practical training in negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and dispute prevention.
Student Mediators & More
Directed by Professors Joan Stearns Johnsen and Donna Erez-Navot, the Institute supports a student mediation clinic and an ADR competition team. The Institute’s quarterly board meetings feature nationally known speakers on ADR topics. Susan Guthrie[ii], a best-selling author, podcaster and highly regarded speaker, discussed AI’s impact on disputes and on ADR and law practice at the latest meeting.
Susan Guthrie: AI is Driving Disputes, Creating Opportunities
According to Susan Guthrie, AI and AI-related issues are driving more and more disputes in many different sectors. From fraudulent insurance policies and claims to discrimination claims arising from AI algorithms’ embedded bias to chatbots giving people incorrect answers, AI is causing more disputes. She sees this as an opportunity for lawyers and ADR professionals to become the “go to” people for disputes by learning about AI.
Future Proofing Your Practice
The ABA Dispute Resolution Section will publish her latest book, Future Proof: Designing a Legal or ADR Practice for the AI Era,[iii] in early 2027. In it, she advises lawyers and ADR practitioners to overcome their fear of AI and look past the hype to plan their practices strategically. In this book she describes her approach for responsible AI use in ADR practice, which she calls OZMAP.
The OZMAP Approach
OZMAP stands for five core commitments for responsible AI use in ADR[iv].
O: Oversight
Z: Zone of Judgment
M: Mindfulness
A: Accuracy
P: Permission and Privacy
Keeping these core principles in mind assists lawyers, mediators and arbitrators when using AI tools in their practices. Bottom line, AI should always be a tool to enhance your practice; it should not (and cannot) take over the decision-making function. The user must always check the AI output for errors. Be extremely cautious about uploading any personal or confidential information into an AI tool.
Takeaways
- AI is not only a tool for lawyers, arbitrators and mediators to use in resolving disputes, it drives many disputes.
- Using AI tools can make law practice and ADR practice more efficient, but understanding how AI tools cause disputes can open new practice areas.
Resources: Earlier posts on AI topics:
Guide to Evaluating AI-generated Evidence
AI in ADR Roundup
Move Over, AI Arbitrator! AAA Introduces AI “Resolution Simulator”
[i]https://law.ufl.edu/academics/programs-and-institutes/dispute-resolution-and-litigation/
[ii]https://www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie/. She is also an attorney, a mediator and the former chair of the ABA Section on Dispute Resolution. https://nadn.org/susan-guthrie
[iii]https://susaneguthrie.com/books
[iv]See prior post: Tips for Using AI Wisely in Mediation https://theconstructionadrtoolbox.com/2026/09/tips-for-using-ai-wisely-in-mediation/