By Manoranjitha Reddy Ani LL.M. ’24

Originally published on the website for the Office of Clinical & Pro Bono Programs

The earliest memories of my childhood are tinged with the idea and practice of ‘law.’ Having witnessed the journey of two litigators (my grandfather and father) throughout my life, I had a perception that litigation is perhaps the best form of dispute resolution, and I did not to explore the alternate ways to resolve a dispute.

While pursuing my LL.M., I attended the ADR Night hosted by the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, where I learned about the Harvard Mediation Program (HMP) and what it entails. I was intrigued and thought I’d try my hand at mediation. As an international student, I was always conscious of whether I’d ‘fit in’, but HMP is extremely diverse, the recruiting process is transparent, and it recruits people committed to serving the community. It is a student-led organization where the students manage the whole process from recruitment to training, which focuses on building a community. I was elated when I was selected for the training.

Read the full story at https://hls.harvard.edu/clinic-stories/walking-a-fine-line-between-facilitation-and-adjudication-in-the-harvard-mediation-program/