The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the HBA is committed to educating and informing members of the Section, the HBA, and the public on the nature and benefits of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation, arbitration, case evaluation, early dispute resolution, collaborative law, cooperative practice, and other forms of alternatives to litigation. ADR processes include many alternatives to having a court (state or federal judge or jury) decide the outcome of a legal dispute in a trial or appeal. ADR processes can be used to resolve any type of dispute including disputes involving contract, family, neighborhood, employment, business, housing, personal injury, consumer, and environmental disputes.
Mediation is relatively new to the profession and the Texas courts as it did not begin to receive its widespread acceptance until after the passage of the Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures Act in 1987.
The Section also co-hosts a Reception for the Judiciary in December in lieu of its regular monthly meeting.
2026 Annual CLE Conference Materials
The Mediation Time Machine – John Coselli
Setting the Table for Resolution – Tracey Frisch
Personality Driven Approach to Mediation – Brian Hewitt
Personality Driven Approach to Mediation – (Scenarios) Brian Hewitt
Lawyer-Mediators and ABA Opinion 518 – Prof. Ellen Waldman
Opinion 518 (Duties of Lawyer/Mediator) – Prof Ellen Waldman
Online HBA ADR CLE Library
- The Art of Drafting Arbitration Agreements: Writing for Success in Dispute Resolution
- Maximizing Results in Mediation – Tips in Preparation and Negotiation with Your Client, the Opposing Parties, and the Mediator
- Now or Later? EDR and Post-Discovery Mediation
- 2024 HBA ADR Ethics Program
- Full HBA ADR Online CLE Library
Other Resources
2025-2026 Section Officers
Chair
Michael Hawash, Hawash Houston Mediation
Immediate Past Chair
Felicia Harris Hoss, Harris Hoss PLLC
Chair-Elect
Charles Peckham, Peckham Martin, PLLC
Secretary
Jessica Crutcher, Jessica Crutcher Law PLLC
Treasurer
Angela DeSilva, Attorney at Law
Council Members at Large
Dominique Bartholet, Bartholet Mediation, P.C.
Wiley George, Wiley George Mediation
Sherra Gilbert, The Gilbert Law Firm
Hon. Erin Lunceford, Lunceford ADR, LLC
Jessica Beinart, Beinart Mediation
Mark Kritzer, The Law Office of Sam M. (Trey) Yates, III, P.C.
Alan Bush, Bush Mediation
Daryl Bailey, Gray Reed
Sasha Vaikhman, Mediation Maven
2025-2026 Section Liaisons
Judicial Liaison
Hon. Ravi Sandill, Sandill Dispute Resolution
Litigation Section Liaison
Luke Gilman, Jackson Walker LLP
Law Schools Liaison
Cynthia Moulton, Moulton & Wilson, LLP
International ADR Liaison
Marieke Witcamp, Marieke Witcamp LLC
Member Details:
Section Members: 255
Section Dues: $25
Meetings
$10 with reservation
$5 for walk-in
