Session Formats & Credit Eligibility

All accepted sessions must be suitable for Continuing Mediation Education (CME) and/or Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).

Presenters will be offered one of the following: a $100 discount on conference registration fees; a $100 honorarium; or recognition as a sponsor of the conference (includes name/ company on virtual event homepage & on VMN website throughout conference).

Delivery format:

• In-Person: interactive, hands-on, role-play, discussion-rich
  
• Virtual: lecture-style, subject-matter deep dives, screen-sharing, tech-supported learning
  

Session lengths:

• CME-eligible sessions: 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours
  
• MCLE-eligible sessions (Virginia Bar): 1 hour, 2 hours (Note: 1.5-hour sessions are only eligible for 1-hour of MCLE credit)
  

Presentation formats may include:

• Individual presenters
  
• Co-presenters (duos)
  
• Panels
  
• Interactive workshops
  

All formats are welcome, provided the session content is structured to meet CME and/or MCLE requirements, including clear learning objectives and substantive educational content.

Possible Session Topics

These ideas are to spark imagination and are not a restrictive list. Additional ideas are provided below.

Family and Circuit Court Practice (divorce-focused)

• Parenting plan development workshops
  
• Retirement and pension division, including military and federal benefits
  
• Navigating pro se parties and court paperwork
  
• Tax and financial considerations in divorce mediation
  
• Complex case simulations and drills
  

Technology, AI, and Online Practice

• AI prompt development and hands-on practice
  
• Online dispute resolution (ODR) and hybrid mediation scenarios
  
• Evaluating AI-generated summaries and draft agreements
  
• Platform training (Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet advanced features)
  
• AI ethics, confidentiality, and professional responsibility
  

Skills, Strategies, and Process Design

• High-conflict mediation techniques and role-play
  
• Agreement drafting workshops
  
• Pre-mediation coaching strategies
  
• Reframing, summarizing, and sequencing practice
  
• Multi-party negotiation and process design exercises
  
• Dispute systems design and institutional ADR (courts, agencies, universities, schools, and organizations)
  

Submission Requirements – complete the fillable PDF Proposal Form and ADR2001 form (including any items requested in the ADR2001) and return by April 30, 2026.

We request the following information:

• Presenter name(s) and affiliation(s)
  
• Session title
  
• Session length (1 hr, 1.5 hrs, or 2 hrs)
  
• CME and/or MCLE eligibility (select one or both)
  
• Ethics or Non-Ethics
  
• Intended target audience (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, All Levels)
  
• Availability for:  In-Person, Virtual, Both (sessions may be proposed as workshops, practice labs, or lecture-style deep dives—more technical or subject matter-focused content may be especially appropriate for the virtual week)
  
• Brief session description (150–250 words)
  
• 3–5 learning objectives
  
• Brief bio(s)
  

The conference proposal deadline is Thursday, April 30.

Please submit the fillable form or submit the information above in an email or Word doc along with your ADR2001 form to:  virginiamediationnetwork@gmail.com

Note: Fillable pdfs need to be downloaded and opened using Adobe in order for the text boxes to work correctly. They will not work from a web browser.

We look forward to your submission!

Coming soon