March 8th-11th, 2023, the MRU Student Mediators' Team represented Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) at the XXI INADR International Law School Mediation Tournament in Bologna (Italy).
MRU was represented by Eglė Striškaitė, Viktoriia Palahniuk and Edvinas Gelžinis. MRU Law Prof. Agnė Tvaronavičienė and Lecturer Indrė Korsakovienė prepared students for this Tournament in which a total of 44 student teams participated. They were assisted by other members of the MRU Mediation and Sustainable Conflict Resolution LAB including postdoctoral trainee Dr. Julia Radanova, doctoral students Agnieszka Góra, Jacek Czaja and School of Law researcher Alina Serhieieva.
While preparing for the tournament, students got acquainted with mediation and acquired knowledge of legal negotiations, discovered different styles and methods of mediation and negotiations. Student mediators had a unique opportunity to practically test themselves in the roles of mediator and negotiator, competing in friendly competition with students from more than 20 countries (Italy, Poland, Sakartvelo, USA, India, Singapore, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and others).
International law school mediation and negotiation tournaments provide students with a unique opportunity to get to know mediation, its different styles and methods, to gain knowledge of legal negotiations and to get acquainted with different negotiation styles and strategies. Participating in the tournament is a great opportunity to put your mediator and negotiator skills to the test in a friendly competition with students from all over the world.
Usually, in tournaments, teams of students compete, consisting of three people who play the roles of mediator, lawyer and client. The tournament takes place on the principle of mediation simulation, - a dispute specially prepared for the tournament is presented and students are divided into roles. During one stage, student mediators work on the principle of co-mediation, when they are paired with a mediator from another law school. The lawyer-client team consists of representatives from the same law school. The judges of the tournament - highly experienced mediation and negotiation experts from all over the world - not only evaluate the students' negotiation and mediation skills, but also share invaluable experience and valuable advice.
Mediation and Sustainable Conlict Resolution Laboratory Head Prof. Dr. Agnė Tvaronavičienė said that "by becoming members of the MRU Mediators team, students have a unique opportunity to acquire negotiation and mediation knowledge and skills from experts and experienced trainers in their field. The laboratory team consists not only of members in Lithuania, but also internationally recognized experts in the training and application of mediation and negotiations. Their trained students have repeatedly achieved extremely high results in international tournaments. Membership in the MRU Mediation team gives students the opportunity to acquire and practically test the highly valued "soft" skills in the market, such as conflict resolution, time and stress management, and negotiation skills."
Mediation LAB member Indrė Korsakovienė and judge of mediation tournaments, said that "much more is expected from the lawyers of the 21st century than just excellent legal knowledge and good attitude. A modern lawyer cannot be imagined without integrative (or win-win) negotiation skills, a desire to reach agreement and a holistic, future-oriented approach to problem solving. Mediation and negotiation skills definitely keep you competitive and add value to your customer service. In addition, the path of a mediator often becomes the professional path of a modern lawyer, providing greater psychological benefits and much less stress."
According to Korsakovienė, "every law student should participate in such a high-level international tournament at least once. As a judge of the tournament, I observe how new international relations and friendships are forged and how the skills of future mediators, mediation lawyers improve and future professionals are formed. Knowledge, skills and invaluable acquaintances are the lasting value for students after every international tournament."
