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Area of law

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Resolving disputes through negotiation, mediation and arbitration.

Find schools with programsAll areas of law

What this area covers

Dispute resolution lawyers help parties reach agreement without a trial, or represent them before an arbitrator. Some serve as neutral mediators or arbitrators themselves.

Also called: ADR, Arbitration, Dispute Resolution, Mediation, Negotiation.

Typical legal work

  • Representing clients in mediation and arbitration
  • Serving as a neutral
  • Designing dispute resolution systems

Where lawyers work

  • Law firms of every size
  • Courts and judicial chambers
  • Dispute resolution providers
  • Community mediation centers

A setting is where you work; an area is what the work is about. The same area is practised in very different settings.

Schools with verified programs

A school is listed here only when its own website names a concentration, certificate, clinic, center or field placement in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Schools are in alphabetical order. The list is not a ranking, and a school that is absent may still teach the subject.

51 schools · 3 concentrations and specializations · 10 certificates · 37 clinics · 18 centers and institutes · 1 externship

Filter these schools in the directory

Program types counted as evidence: clinics, certificates, concentrations and specializations, centers and institutes, externships and field placements. Joint degrees and advanced degrees are described under Degrees & program types.

Sources

These references informed what the area covers. The description above is PreLaw Advisor’s own and does not reproduce their text.

  1. 1.American Bar Association. Section of Dispute Resolution (opens in a new tab) Retrieved Sep 2026.

Description reviewed Sep 2026. Each school program links to the page it was verified against.

Alternative Dispute Resolution — areas of law · PreLaw Advisor