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Walter Wright
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IMI Certified Mediator
United States
Texas
English, Spanish
Mediation Profile

Walter A. Wright has been an attorney since 1977 and a mediator since 1986. As an attorney, he has practiced in the areas of domestic and international commercial transactions, commercial litigation, real estate, and business organizations. As a mediator, he practices in the areas of disability, commercial, family, and community disputes. He is a contract mediator for the Key Bridge Foundation (disability-discrimination charges) and has been a contract mediator for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (employment-discrimination charges), the United States Postal Service (employment-discrimination charges), and the Texas Education Agency (disputes between school districts and parents of disabled children). He is also a volunteer mediator for the Austin and Central Texas Dispute Resolution Centers.  While English is his native language, he is fluent in written and spoken Spanish, and he often mediates disputes where the parties speak Spanish.

Walter has a strong record of service to the ADR profession. He is former president of the Texas Association of Mediators and the Association of Attorney-Mediators. For six years, he was Chair of the Newsletter Editorial Board of Alternative Resolutions, the newsletter of the ADR Section of the State Bar of Texas. He has received several awards for service, including the Steve Brutsché Award from the Association of Attorney-Mediators (2005), the Frank G. Evans Award from the ADR Section of the State Bar of Texas (2008), and the Susanne Adams Award from the Texas Association of Mediators (2009).

Walter has been an assistant professor (1997-2003), a tenured associate professor (2003-2022), and is now a tenured full professor (2022 to date) in the Legal Studies Program of the Department of Political Science at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law and the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares (Spain).  He teaches courses in law and alternative dispute resolution, and his primary research interest is mediation. He is a published author in the United States, Spain, and several Latin American countries. 

Walter received Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees from the University of Houston and a Master of Laws degree in International Legal Studies from New York University.

Litigation Mediation Experience: since 1986, broad experience mediating commercial litigation, personal injury, worker's compensation, medical malpractice, premises liability, property damage, special education, Americans with Disabilities Act, and employment disputes (including discrimination charges filed with the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Postal Service). 

Community-Based Mediation Experience: since 1989, general experience mediating community-based disputes, primarily those involving Spanish-speaking disputants. 

Family Mediation Experience: since 1993, extensive experience mediating child custody, child support, and property division cases, primarily those involving Spanish-speaking disputants.

Walter generally uses a facilitative, problem-solving style. The facilitative style relies on clear communication, identification of issues and interests, brainstorming of options, and careful evaluation of those options. Throughout the process, Walter assists the parties with their communication, negotiation, and decision making. He manages the process while the parties retain control of the content of their dispute and its resolution. Although Walter does not evaluate the merits of the parties' positions, he does assist the parties with their own evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of those positions as they determine whether and how to resolve their dispute. Walter also uses the transformative mediation style advocated by Joseph Folger and Baruch Bush in "The Promise of Mediation." The purpose of the transformative mediation style is to empower the parties to exercise control of their dispute and take responsibility for its resolution while enhancing the parties' capacity to recognize each other's humanity and points of view. In the transformative mediation style, the parties retain control of both the mediation process and its content. The mediator's role is to promote clear communication between the parties and to enhance opportunities for empowerment and recognition. Walter has used the transformative mediation style in mediations for the United States Postal Service and when the parties or their attorneys request it.

Disability Discrimination, Employment, Employment Discrimination, Commercial, International Commercial, Personal Injury, Family, Community, Bilingual (English-Spanish).

Provided on request.

LICENSES: 

Supreme Court of Texas.
Supreme Court of Colorado (currently inactive).

MEMBERSHIPS:

State Bar of Texas.
College of the State Bar of Texas.
Houston Bar Association.
Association of Attorney-Mediators.
Texas Association of Mediators.
Austin Association of Mediators.
Texas Mediation Trainers Roundtable.
Texas Mediator Credentialing Association (Credentialed Mediator).

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PANELS:

Mediator Panel, Key Bridge Foundation (1997 to date).
Mediator Panel, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2005-2019).
Mediator Panel, U.S. Postal Service (1999-2009).
Mediator Panel, National Association of Securities Dealers Regulation (2000-2002).
Mediator Panel, Texas Education Agency (1998-2000).
Arbitrator Panel, National Association of Securities Dealers Regulation (2000-2002).

Provided on request.

Training and Education

Litigation mediation (1986, 1992).
Community mediation (1989).
Bilingual mediation (1990).
Family mediation (1993).
Agricultural mediation (1995).
Americans with Disabilities Act mediation (1997, 2008, 2015).
Mediation of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges (1997).
Mediation of Texas Education Agency special education disputes (1998).
Mediation of United States Postal Service employment disputes (transformative model) (1998).
Mediation of public-policy disputes (2001).
Advanced transformative mediation (2006).
Many hours of continuing education on mediation topics (1986 to date).

University Professor: Effective September 2022, Professor of Legal Studies in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University in San Marcos. Designer and instructor of the following courses: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Contracts, Advanced Legal Research and Writing, and Legal Theory and Analysis.

University Associate Professor:  from September 2003 to August 2022), Associate Professor of Legal Studies in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University in San Marcos. Designer and instructor of the following courses: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Resolution of Disputes Involving Aquatic Resources, Contracts, Social Legislation, Problems in Public Law, Issues and Problems in Law, Legal Drafting, Legal Research, Advanced Legal Research, Legal Theory and Analysis, and Law Office Management.  Promotion to full professor granted September 1, 2022.

University Assistant Professor: from September 1997 to August 2003, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies in the Department of Political Science at Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University). Tenure and promotion to Associate Professor granted September 1, 2003.

University Adjunct Professor:  Adjunct Professor of Mediation at University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas (since 2017).

University Adjunct Professor:  Adjunct Professor of Mediation for Universidad de Alcalá, Spain (since 2017).

University Adjunct Professor: Adjunct Professor at St. Edward’s University, Austin, Texas. Designer and instructor of course entitled Cultural Issues in Negotiation and Mediation (Fall 2004, Summer 2007).

Lecturer to Foreign Universities, Professional Organizations, and Judicial Agencies: Since 1995, lecturer at foreigh universities, professional organizations and judicial agencies, including Dirección Nacional de Mediación y Métodos Participativos de Resolución de Conflictos (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Equipo I.M.C.A. (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Red Federal de Centros de Mediación Comunitaria (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Red Federal de Formación Escolar (Buenos Aires, Argentina), ODR Latinoamérica (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Universidad Católica de Córdoba (Córdoba, Argentina), Universidad Blas Pascal (Córdoba, Argentina), Facultad de Ciencias Económicas de la Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora (Lomas de Zamora, Argentina), Centro Privado de Mediación, Negociación, Conciliación y Arbitraje de la Patagonia (Neuquén, Argentina), Fundación Instituto de Mediación (Resistencia, Argentina), Todo Sobre Mediación (Resistencia, Argentina), Colegio de Abogados de Salta (Salta, Argentina), Fundación Mediar (Salta, Argentina), Colegio de Abogados de San Isidro (San Isidro, Argentina), Ministerio de Gobierno de San Juan (San Juan, Argentina), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (Santa Fe, Argentina), Departamento Nacional de Planeación (Bogotá, Colombia), Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá (Bogota, Colombia), Centro de Arbitraje y Mediación del Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica (San José, Costa Rica), Instituto Superior de Administración de Empresas (San José, Costa Rica), Iniciativa por el Estado de Derecho (Quito, Ecuador),  Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College (Kolkata, India), Associazione MEDeS (Milan, Italy), Università degli studi di Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy), Unidades de Servicios Jurídicos de las Cortes Supremas de Guerrero, Colima and Tamaulipas (Mexico), Asociación de Resolución de Conflictos (Chihuahua, Mexico), Cortes Supremas de  Nuevo León and Oaxaca (Mexico), Instituto de Estudios Judiciales del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Ciudad de México (Mexico City, Mexico), Centro de Justicia Alternativa del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Ciudad de México (Mexico City, Mexico), Instituto de Investigación y Estudios Para la Paz, A.C. (Mexico City, Mexico), Iniciativa por el Estado de Derecho (Mexico City, Guadalajara, and La Paz, Mexico), Colegio de Mediadores de Nuevo León (Monterrey, Mexico), Ayuntamiento de San Luis Potosí (San Luis Potosí, Mexico), Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (San Luis Potosí, Mexico), Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas (Reynosa, Mexico), Universidad de Guadalajara (Guadalajara, Mexico), Asesoría Jurídica Conciliatoria y Justicia de Paz (AJUPAZ) (Tlaxcala, Mexico),   Iniciativa por el Estado de Derecho (Granada, Nicaragua), Centro del Conocimiento para la Resolución de Conflictos en las Américas y el Caribe (CERCA) (Panama City, Panama), Mediar Panamá, (Panama City, Panama), Fundación CALMA (Lima, Peru), Colegio de Abogados de Lima (Lima, Peru), Universidad César Vallejo (Lima, Perú), Universidad Católica del Uruguay (Montevideo, Uruguay), Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Caracas, Venezuela), Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado (Barquisimeto, Venezuela), Centro de Resolución de Conflictos del Colegio de Abogados del Estado Lara (Barquisimeto, Venezuela).

 


Lecturer to National, Regional, and State Professional Organizations:

American Bar Association, American Association for Paralegal Education, U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Association of Attorney-Mediators, Association for Conflict Resolution, International Academy of Mediators, Texas Association of Mediators, Texas Mediator Credentialing Association, Texas Collaborative Law Council, Texas Municipal League; Texas City Managers Association; NASA/Johnson Space Center, State Bar of Texas Legal Assistants Division, University of Texas School of Law, Better Business Bureau, Houston Bar Association, Dallas Bar Association, Travis County Bar Association, Houston Dispute Resolution Center, Austin Dispute Resolution Center, Central Texas Dispute Resolution Center, and Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County.

Publications

Representative Publications:

  •  “Challenges and Rewards of Developing an Advanced Legal Research and Writing Course for a Post-Graduate Legal Studies Program, Legal Educator, Fall 2020/Winter 2021, at 42.

  • Mediación Virtual en los Estados Unidos:  Pasado, Presente y Futuro,” a chapter in Mediación, Conciliación y Arbitraje tras la Pandemia, Ediciones Olejnik, Santiago, Chile (2020).
  •  “El uso de la mediación para hacer cumplir los derechos civiles en los Estados Unidos,” Revista de Mediación (December 2019).

  • “Aportes de la neurociencia para comprender el comportamiento humano en la mediación,” a chapter in Abordaje de Conflictos, Editorial Astrea, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2016).
  • "El derecho colaborativo: una nueva alternativa para la resolución de conflitos," La Ley Paraguaya, Suplemento de Medios Alternativos de Resolución de Conflictos, Asunción, Paraguay (2009).
  • “Texas Attorney-Mediators’ Perceptions of Changes in Mediation Practice,” The Advocate at 10 (Fall 2007).
  • “Practical Steps for Acquiring Cross-Cultural Negotiation Skills,” 70 Texas Bar Journal 590 (2007).
  • “La Comisión Norteamericana para la Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo: Informe sobre el Programa de Mediación del Distrito de San Antonio,” El Acuerdo, Buenos Aires, Argentina (August-September 2004) (co-authored with Hassan Tajalli).
  • “John Paul Lederach: A Peacemaker’s Bibliography (Part One),” Texas Mediator at 16 (Fall 2003). “John Paul Lederach: A Peacemaker’s Bibliography (Part Two),” Texas Mediator at 6 (Winter 2003).
  • "Métodos Alternativos de Resolución de Conflictos en los Estados Unidos: Experiencias Recientes a Nivel Federal,” a chapter in Mediación: Formación y Algunos Aspectos Claves, Editorial Porrúa, Mexico City, Mexico (2001).
  • “Spanish-Speaking Participants in Mediation: Past, Present, and Future at Texas Dispute Resolution Centers,” Texas Mediator at 7 (Fall 2002) (co-authored with Clara I. Gómez and Josefina M. Rendón).
  • "Cultural Issues in Mediation: a Practical Guide to Individualist and Collectivist Paradigms," Alternative Resolutions at 18 (April 1998).
  • "La Protección de la Confidencialidad en la Mediación," El Acuerdo, Buenos Aires, Argentina (March & April 1998).
  • "Mediación Empresaria en los Estados Unidos," La Ley, Suplemento de Resolución de Conflictos, Buenos Aires, Argentina (June 1997).
  • "Posibles Limitaciones al Uso de los Modelos de Mediación Norteamericanos en Argentina," Fundación Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina (1996).
  • "Mediation of Private United States-Mexico Commercial Disputes: Will it Work?" 26 New Mexico Law Review 57 (1996).
Compliance

As a Credentialed Mediator of the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association, Walter adheres to the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics prescribed by that organization. The standards and code are located at http://www.txmca.org/ethics.htm.

As a Credentialed Mediator of the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association, Walter has submitted himself to the Grievance Process of that organization. The TMCA's Grievance Process is located at http://www.txmca.org/grievance.htm.

The International Mediation Institute's Professional Conduct Assessment Process also applies.

As a member of the Association of Attorney-Mediators, Walter has Professional Liability Insurance Coverage from Complete Equity Markets. The coverage is $250,000.00 per claim and $2,000,000.00 in the aggregate.

Contact
Walter Wright
Professor
Texas State University
United States
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