Upcoming Programs

Practical tools that boost results, increase job satisfaction and reduce liability in a swiftly tilting world

Maine State Bar Association--Summer Conference

Live Plenary Session, 1.0 hours CLE, (H&D credit)  

Friday, June 27 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. 

Bar Harbor, ME

Faculty: Andy Kull, Esq., Tim Kenlan, Esq., Julia Sheridan, Esq.

The essence of trauma informed practice is learning to recognize and respond skillfully to the universal human stress response in real time as it operates in ourselves and others, allowing us to see clearly and make good decisions.  Brain science explains how stress and trauma temporarily rewire our physiology, enhancing critical functions for surviving a tiger attack but impairing many of the skills useful to lawyers and the people we work with—including critical thinking, creativity, and curiosity.  Engaging the legal system is stressful and lawyers constantly encounter a spectrum of stress responses in our clients, colleagues, partners, staff, and (especially) ourselves.  When this response is engaged outside of a survival situation, without awareness and some simple intervention, it causes unintended fallout for everyone—including (but not limited to) decisions based on incomplete information, incorrect assumptions, disengagement, and impulsive behavior.  This creates liability on multiple fronts, especially since research shows that incidence of trauma is significantly higher for members of some protected classes.  We cannot know who in the room is a trauma survivor.  But the good news is the ability to integrate universal trauma informed precautions into our practice is best practice.  These simple tools are easy to learn, applicable in every aspect of our work, and also effective at relieving stress, enhancing clarity, and reducing burnout.  This is indispensable knowledge that we need to do our work well in an increasingly challenging world.  

This session will be interactive, and participants will learn tools they can practice immediately.  The presenters and panelists will share real life examples of how their trauma informed practices have helped them achieve better outcomes in their work, improved their professional relationships, and enhanced personal satisfaction.  

Professional Development for Mediators (PROGRAM FULL)

6 Zoom Sessions (12 hours total)

Limited to 6 participants

Tuesdays 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. via Zoom (biweekly 3/4/25, 3/18, 4/1, 4/15, 4/29, and 5/6)

Facilitator: Andy Kull

This program offers participants the opportunity to learn and practice Peacemaking skills and process in an intimate setting. These interactive sessions will focus on core skills in the Peacemaker’s toolkit and feature practice using hypotheticals and mock circles.  Participants will be invited to bring our existing skills and experience to the circle, and we will share the opportunity to deepen our insight into relational (as contrasted with adversarial) process and strategy. Participants will be expected to practice skills in between sessions and bring our learnings back to the group.  The course objective is to gain a basic understanding of how to facilitate a Peacemaking circle, as well as an increased appreciation of how Peacemaking can support and deepen our existing mediation practices.  

Call or email to design a program for your organization (including businesses), law firm, or community!  CLE credit available for attorney programs!

Zoom or in person leadership and professional development training, including:

• Introduction to the Art of Peacemaking.  This short program (1 to 3 hours) offers an overview of what Peacemaking really is, the fundamental  tools in our kits, and an introduction to the core practice of  Peacemaking (circle process) (one to three hour program)
• Circle Process Training Practicum.   This full day program features interactive sessions will focus on core skills in the Peacemaker’s toolkit and feature practice using hypotheticals and mock circles
• Creating a Trauma-Informed Law Practice.  Relational skills are trauma informed skills--being trauma informed in our law practice is not only good for clients and colleagues, but it makes us better lawyers.
• The Art of Holding Space: Practicing the Greatest Leadership Skill of All.  The art of holding space is rarely acknowledged, but it underpins our best skills and is the secret sauce of great leaders.  And it does not happen by accident--learn strategies and tools you can both develop over time and put into practice immediately.

Join us for this one day, in-person workshop to learn and practice the fundamentals of Circle Process Mediation, or the Peacemaking Circle–a powerful, transformative and highly effective conflict resolution process practiced for generations in Native American tribal courts across North American–now skillfully presented for mediators, lawyers, and judges in mainstream application. This immersive, interactive workshop blends ancient wisdom with contemporary practice.  

Through hands-on exercises and mock circles, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the Peacemaking Circle protocol and learn the basics of facilitating circle-based mediations.  We will also explore core skills like active listening, emotional regulation, and respectful engagement, building our ability to set a collaborative tone and hold space for collective wisdom to arise. This workshop is ideal for mediators wishing to expand their skills as well as legal professionals seeking to integrate meaningful, relational processes into their practice.

With Andy Kull and Adrian Roberto Roman (www.adrianrobertoroman.com) 

Fri, Mar 14, 8:30am - 4pm EDT 

University of Maine at Augusta: Fireside Lounge 

Solidarity Pricing ($250 - $450)

Maine Bar Association Winter Conference (Live CLE)

Westin Hotel, Portland, Maine

January 24, 2025, 10:15 - 11:15 am

Introduction to the Art of Peacemaking for Lawyers: an overview of relational process and tools that make us better (and happier) lawyers.

Presented by Andrew Kull, Esq.

Albert Einstein said we can’t solve problems with the same kind of thinking that created them.  We know that adversarial thinking is at the root of problems, and yet lawyers rely almost exclusively on our adversarial training for solutions.  Judicial Peacemaking programs, practiced in Native American tribal courts across North America, provide a template for a profoundly simple and highly effective alternative—one that can be applied by lawyers of all cultural backgrounds across mainstream practice.  This session is a refreshing and interactive sojourn into relational practices that support professional and personal success.  Participants will leave with simple tools that can be integrated into any law practice, as well as an understanding of the core practice of Peacemaking (circle process).   Lawyers are natural Peacemakers, and we get results—but adversarial process and thinking alone can both limit and define those results.  Peacemaking offers a balancing perspective that is simple to understand, easy to apply, and will increase our efficacy and satisfaction as attorneys.

Five Biweekly Zoom Sessions (2 hours) 

Beginning December, 2024

4 to 6 attorneys

Facilitated by Andy Kull

Tuition:  $1,000 ($500 for attorneys in practice for 5 years or less). 

              Scholarships available.  

There is a reason why we struggle with satisfaction as lawyers--it comes from the hidden but pervasive dissonance that arises as adversarial thinking and process inevitably gain a disproportionate hold over our work and our lives.  This small group program can bring  enjoyment and satisfaction back to our venerable practice.  We will disentangle ourselves from adversarial tools like "thinking like a lawyer" and deposit them in our toolbox where they belong.  We will learn and practice relational strategies that not only work, but also resonate with our fundamental nature as people.   And we will create an open space to  remember why we entered the law to begin with and express the personal agency to align our practice with our original intention.

This facilitated program will be participatory and transformative, solidifying our new skills and empowering each other through unpacking our experience between sessions.  We will become better lawyers (even the litigators!).  Whether we are in our career groove and looking to level up, struggling with continuing in the law, or anywhere in between, participating will deepen and align our connection with outrselves, our work, and the balance of our lives.   

Rave reviews for this Zoom program with over 40 participants!  

Rated 5/5 for overall quality of the program and 5/5 would highly recommend to a friend or colleague by 100% of survey respondents

Maine Association of Mediators Conflict Resolution Day.  Open to all!   Registration Link Here:   Circle Process and the Peacemaker's Toolkit, presented by Andrew Kull, Esq.  

The  practice of coming together to resolve our problems in a structured,  relational process held by skilled Peacemakers is profoundly simple and  highly effective.  Judicial peacemaking programs in Native American  tribal courts across North America have enjoyed great success for  decades.  Now a new generation of mediators, lawyers, judges and leaders  are finding Peacemaking tremendously beneficial beyond cultural  settings, in mainstream practice–resolving tough conflict at the root,  inspiring how we work together, and increasing our own job satisfaction.

This  session is an overview of what Peacemaking really is, the fundamental  tools in our kits, and an introduction to the core practice of  Peacemaking (circle process).  Mediators are Peacemakers already, yet we  are often frustrated by the pervasive effects of adversarial process  and thinking. Peacemaking offers a refreshing path forward.  The session  will conclude with an interactive, mini Peacemaking Circle.