Our five clinical projects in the spring of 2016 spanned a wide range of contexts, cultures, and activities:

Bhutan Royal Institute of Law

When it opens its doors in the next year, the Royal Institute of Law will be Bhutan’s first law school. Currently, many disputes in Bhutan are resolved by traditional, local dispute resolvers. The Royal Institute of Law invited HNMCP to develop and test a comprehensive survey of these traditional dispute resolvers so the Institute might equip its graduates with the knowledge necessary to engage with these actors and the varied systems they represent.

Former Clinical Instructor Stephan Sonnenberg ’06  and client liaison on the Bhutan project recently published an article about local dispute resolution in Bhutan as it runs parallel to, and might begin to push against, the modernization and democratization of the legal system in that country. Sonnenberg’s mandate is to create the clinical arm of the new Royal Institute of Law and his work with HNMCP students this past spring informs parts of this article.

Mennonite Central Committee

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, responds to basic human needs and works for peace and justice. It is working with its partner, the Programme Paix et Réconciliation, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to support the UN- and government-led process of voluntary disarmament and/or repatriation of Rwandan refugees and militia members. MCC engaged HNMCP to expand the formal knowledge of PPR employees in key areas of peace building theory and conflict analysis/management, as well as to provide a “train the trainers” curriculum so that these skill scan be continued to be passed on to new PPR employees over time.

National Forest Foundation

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) engages Americans in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public enjoyment of our public lands. The NFF invited HNMCP to conduct an analysis of various stakeholders in the current debate around the value, approach, and effectiveness of “collaborative groups” and “collaborative processes” in the stewardship of National Forests & Grasslands and make recommendations on best practices on this process.

Perkins School for the Blind

Perkins is an organization committed to improving the lives of people with blindness and deafblindness all around the world. Recently, Perkins has undergone some significant changes to the leadership team and has undertaken new initiatives.  Perkins invited HNMCP to assess the impact of these changes on Perkins staff and to make recommendations targeted at enhancing morale and increasing engagement across campus.

Thumbtack

Thumbtack is a fast-growing San Francisco-based technology company dedicated to connecting local service professionals and customers. Thumbtack engaged HNMCP to assess how the company should design and implement an innovative, tech-centered process for customers and professional to resolve disputes and set an example for other online marketplaces.