The Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution: At the Forefront of Experiential Education
Attorneys spend considerably much more time in negotiations, mediations, and arbitrations than in the courtroom. As a result, it is critical that law students possess effective advocacy skills in these methods of legal representation. The Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution (FECCR) serves as the focal point for dispute resolution education within South Texas College of Law Houston. The FECCR has as its primary mission the education of law students in both the theoretical foundations and practical applications of dispute resolution processes such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. The FECCR sponsors and administers a variety of programs and projects, including classes, trainings, clinical opportunities, and dispute resolution competitions. Currently, South Texas College of Law Houston offers eight ADR-related courses, including a mediation clinic and a 40-hour basic mediation training which students take alongside practicing attorneys. In addition, the FECCR sponsors teams for numerous ADR competitions annually with the focus on advocacy in negotiation and mediation. In the last several years, the FECCR has achieved national recognition for launching innovative experiential opportunities for law students across the country, including the renown Inter-School Negotiation Practicum involving almost 2,400 students from 44 law schools.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
- STCL’s Dispute Resolution program was ranked 15th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its 2023 Best Graduate School rankings.
- The law school placed 3rd in the nation on the American Bar Association’s (ABA) 2022-23 Competition Champions list.
- According to PreLaw Magazine, a National Jurist publication, STCL is ranked one of the top law schools for ADR.
The Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution at a Glance:
- Number of first place national and international DR competition wins in recent years: 24
- Number of full-time and part-time faculty and competition coaches: 17
- Number of DR courses offered: 8
- Number of students across the country that have participated in the STCL Inter-School Negotiation Practicum since fall 2019: 2,784
- Number of students that tried out at the 11th Annual DR Intramural Tournament in 2023: 67
- Average number of students that receive their 40-hour mediation certificate per year: 100
- Number of EEOC mediation cases our mediation clinic students have mediated: 83
- Amount of monetary settlements from EEOC cases our students have mediated : $586,096
- Number of teams that participated in the 7th Annual South Texas College of Law Houston Energy Law Negotiation Competition in 2022: 18
