Join the GSBA for its 5th Annual Pathways to ADR Program
Join the Garden State Bar Association (GSBA) for its 5th Annual Pathways to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program—an engaging and informative panel designed for attorneys and law students interested in exploring careers and opportunities in ADR.This dynamic discussion will provide insight into the evolving field of dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, workplace investigations and fact-finding. Our distinguished panel of neutrals will share their professional journeys, practical guidance, and perspectives on building a successful career in ADR.
Why Attend?
Learn about career pathways in ADR
Gain practical insight from experienced neutrals
Understand how ADR fits into modern legal practice
Network with leaders in the field
Whether you are exploring ADR as a career path or looking to expand your practice, this program will provide valuable guidance and inspiration.
MODERATOR:
Dean L. Burrell, Esq.
Burrell Dispute Resolution
Dean Burrell is an experienced ADR professional, former President of the Garden State Bar Association, former Chair of the National Bar Association ADR Section, and former Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section. He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Mr. Burrell brings extensive experience as a traditional labor and employment attorney, mediator, and arbitrator, serving with organizations including the AAA, FMCS, EEOC, NJ PERC, the New Jersey State Board of Mediation, and the New Jersey State Courts.
PANELITS:
Rebekah Ratliff, CCLS
Mediator/Arbitrator/Neutral Analyst, JAMS
Rebekah Ratliff is an international mediator, arbitrator, and neutral analyst with JAMS. She is a former commercial insurance claims professional with more than 25 years of experience handling complex casualty claims and holds the Commercial Claims Litigation Specialist (CCLS) designation.
Her subject matter expertise includes auto and trucking liability, commercial premises liability, medical malpractice, products liability, construction defect, nursing home liability, governmental entity liability, employment, and civil rights.
Ms. Ratliff is an Adjunct Professor at Howard University School of Law, 1st Vice Chair of the National Bar Association’s ADR Section, a member of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section Council, and serves as Secretary and Global Relationships Liaison of the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA). She is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Chris M. Kwok, Esq.
Mediator & Arbitrator, JAMS
Chris M. Kwok, Esq. has been a JAMS neutral since 2018, bringing extensive experience resolving complex disputes as both an arbitrator and mediator. He is highly experienced in labor and employment law and is also adept at handling complex business and commercial disputes, international conflicts, and trusts and estates matters.
Mr. Kwok has handled matters ranging from individual and pro se complainants to class action plaintiffs, as well as disputes involving governmental agencies and large, mid-sized, and small domestic and international businesses across a wide range of industries, including securities, banking and financial markets, accounting, education, healthcare, restaurants, nursing homes, arts and entertainment, higher education, retail, aviation, and manufacturing.
His employment law experience includes fifteen years at the New York office of the EEOC, where he mediated thousands of disputes and served as the Supervisory ADR Coordinator for the ADR Unit. He also served as an Investigator in the EEOC’s Enforcement Unit.
DeAndra Roaché, FCIArb
Arbitrator & Mediator, Cynergis Dispute Resolution Services, LLC
DeAndra Roaché, FCIArb, is a distinguished arbitrator and mediator with a prominent national and international ADR practice specializing in labor, employment, construction, maritime, and complex commercial disputes.
Prior to launching her ADR practice, Ms. Roaché accumulated a decade of extensive experience in rail infrastructure and transportation, as well as labor and collective bargaining matters and arbitration and mediation processes unique to the railroad industry, including Presidential Emergency Boards, while working in the Washington, D.C. corporate office of a major transportation company.
She is a certified workplace mediator and trainer, as well as a certified Dispute Resolution Board (DRB) practitioner. In addition to her active practice, Ms. Roaché serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law, where she teaches mediation.
Ms. Roaché is also featured in the 2024 ABA publication by A. Schmitz, The Arbitration Conversation – Insights and Wisdom from Experts in the Field, Chapter 4E: Railroads.