Larry Smith, Ph.D's Page

Profile Information

What is your profession and title?: Lecturer/Mediator

What is your ADR experience? (trainings and education): Training
Conflict Resolution and Family Mentoring - Pepperdine University School of Law (60 hrs.) Masters Degree in Behavioral Science (Conflict Management & Negotiations). Course work included over 1200 hours of formal instruction with supervised applications in Negotiations and Conflict Management, Organizational Crisis, Computer Applications in Behavioral Science, Theories of Conflict, Organizational Conflict, Mediation Philosophy and Procedures, Arbitration skills and Procedures, Social Policy Research, Community and Neighborhood Conflict and Continuing Education training through the American Bar Association.
Education
PhD – Philosophy W/ Major in Theology Concordia University; Pre-doctoral - Applied Ethics in Biblical Studies, Fuller/St. Luke's Theological Seminary.
M.A. Behavioral Science (Negotiation and Conflict Management) California State University, Dominguez Hills B.A. - Public Affairs; Pepperdine University

Dr. Smith has served as third party neutral in over 300 mediated cases, including employment, civil rights, labor relations and discrimination in both public and private settings.
He has mediated numerous mediations in church settings and was one of the founders of the church conflict management cohort through Pepperdine University.
Dr. Smith maintains a flexible and non-adversarial problem solving style during the mediation process. Since he is not an attorney his practice has always focused on win-win negotiations and collaborative problem solving. He believes the goals of the alternative dispute resolution is to use Facilitative, Evaluative or Transformative processes where appropriate; to address the parties' interests and to arrive at a satisfactory resolution.
Personal Values in Mediation
Larry believes that every mediation represents an opportunity. It is an opportunity for all stakeholders to learn and grow. A well-trained and concerned mediator can assist disputing parties in recognizing latent values and teach collaborative problem solving for future conflict resolution.

What, if any, ADR organizations or groups do you belong to?: Dr. Smith is one of only forty-five Credentialed Distinguished Mediators in the state of Texas. He is a member of the America Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas (Associate), and the Austin Association of Mediators, he also has a membership pending in the American Arbitration Association.