Current Contest

The state of the environment impacts each of us. Over the past decades there has been both an unprecedented deterioration in the state of our planetary environment and eco-systems, as well as an unprecedented level of attention given to the problems in the press, within the halls of government and among people and groups who want to see better policy. One of the great challenges to resolving many environmental issues is the fact that our economic growth is often at odds with environmental protection and there is always a need for some kind of balancing of interests between the two. To be sure, the positions of business and environmental protection are not always at odds and need not always be. However, at times we seem unable to formulate and execute on policy that accounts for these often competing interests.

In this Internet Bar contest you will work in teams and individually to represent competing interests in the environmental milieu, eventually bringing issues to resolution through online mediation. Contestants will help decide and form the issues to be mediated; research and prepare arguments; provide oral and written arguments and briefs before professional neutrals and in the process make a contribution to a new way of resolving global environmental issues. As you do this, you'll also learn valuable skills in online mediation, one of the fastest-growing forms of dispute resolution globally.

Here are a few things to consider as you contemplate participating in the contest:

What will we do with the results? In other words, what can we actually accomplish? First, we'll demonstrate to many interested parties that online mediation can be an effective format to resolve environmental matters that might otherwise tarry for years in the courts. Second, we will demonstrate that online mediation can produce fair and balanced results that take into account the very real, but often opposing interests of environmental protection and economic development. Third, we will publish the results of the scholarship and the mediations in our own Internet Law Review and we will welcome their dissemination in a host of other channels. Fourth, we will present our findings to governments, business leaders, NGO's, non-profits and other people and institutions who want to find real, workable solutions to these pressing concerns.

What's in it for contestants? First, you will be making a difference to people's lives and to the emergence of global online justice systems whose time is coming. Second, you will network and collaborate with peers and professionals in areas that can further your personal and professional interests. Third, you will have the opportunity to be published and to win prizes. Fourth, you will learn how to navigate the world of online dispute resolution, which will be valuable to your professional development.

Sound good? We'd love to have you participate! If you're ready just go to www.internetbar.org/contestregistration.html.

If you want to read about the rules and prizes please follow the tabs in this section of our Main Menu under "Rules" and "Prizes."