Sheila
Purcell

Sheila Purcell is the Director and Clinical Professor of the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. For 16 years she designed and directed a public/private dispute resolution partnership of the San Mateo Superior Court, bar and community with civil, small claims, family, probate, complex litigation, and juvenile court ADR programs and staff. She also oversaw the courts’ Jury Division and Self Help Center. In the early 1990’s she worked throughout California as the State Bar’s ADR Program Developer, received a Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and mediated for the S.F. Mayor’s Office. She received an ABA award for organizing the first-ever national Court ADR conference. Publications include A Bench Guide to ADR along with numerous articles. She has consulted and presented nationally and in Bosnia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Slovenia and Uzbekistan. She received a California Dispute Resolution Council Founder’s Award and special recognition from California’s Supreme Court Chief Justice. Her court’s ADR program was a recipient of the “Kleps” Award for Innovation. She helped launch and is one of the lead faculty for CNDR’s groundbreaking International Court ADR Institute for international judges and lawyers. She oversees the Center where each year approximately one-third of all students engage in a dispute resolution course and master skills through the Mediation Clinic, the Externship Program and the award-winning Mediation and Dispute Resolution Team. In 2018 US News and World Report ranked Hastings in the top ten of ADR programs nationally, and CNDR received the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ADR Education Award.