The ICODR Podcast

In this episode, Ian speaks with Colin Rule, CEO of ODR.com , about the upcoming ODR2026.org conference taking place on June 11, 2026 (also surrounded by other events on June 10, June 12 (the Arbitration and Mediation in the Age of AI conference ) and the VibeODR.com hackathon on June 13th). For more information about the conference, visit http://odr2026.org . The full agenda is available here .

In this episode Ian chats with Professor Janet Martinez and Professor Amy Schmitz about their new book Digital Dispute Systems Design: Using Technology in Preventing and Resolving Conflicts .   Professor Amy J. Schmitz is a full professor at The Ohio State Moritz College of Law and Program on Dispute Resolution as the John Deaver Drinko-Baker & Hostetler Endowed Chair in Law and a Co-Director...

In this episode Ian speaks with Dr. Pablo Cortés, who is a full professor with a chair in Civil Justice at Leicester Law School, in the UK, where he teaches and conducts research in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), civil procedure and consumer law. He is also an online arbitrator-adjudicator for CEDR’s aviation, telecommunications and water disputes schemes. He has published wide...

In this episode Ian chats with ODR leaders Dan Rainey, Leah Wing, and Chris Draper to talk about their new book (also written with Scott Cooper) entitled Governing Artificial Intelligence , part of the Issues in Online Dispute Resolution series from Brill Publishing. About the book: "As we face the profound and rapidly expanding impacts of artificial intelligence, ethical and practical questions a...

In this episode, Ian interviews ODR pioneer John Helie. John founded ConflictNet in 1988 as a communication forum and information sharing network for the Conflict Resolution Practitioners community, and in 1996 co-founded Mediate.com with Jim Melamed (who was interviewed on the last podcast). He also co-founded OnlineResolution.com, one of the first ODR providers, in 2000. A trained mediator and f...

Jim will be known to many of you as co-founder, in 1996, and former CEO of  mediate.com  until 2020 (at which point he handed over the reins to Colin Rule). He is currently Board Chair and General Counsel for Resourceful Internet Solutions, Inc. (RIS), home to Mediate.com, Arbitrate.com, ODR.com and other leading dispute resolution sites.  Before Mediate.com, Jim founded The Mediation Center in Eu...

In this episode, Ian speaks with Rory Kingan, CEO of Eperoto, a legal tech company based in Sweden that helps lawyers assess cases more effectively and give clients greater clarity into litigation risk.  Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, Rory began his career in Wellington with PricewaterhouseCoopers, building New Zealand’s digital land title system. He moved to London and consulted for sever...

In this episode Ian interviews Dr. Sara Hourani, a Senior Lecturer in Law at the School of Law, Middlesex University London. She also holds a Visiting Lectureship at the School of Law, Aix-Marseille University (France). Sara received an LLB degree from Grenoble II University (France), an LLM in International Trade Law and a PhD in Law from the University of Essex (UK). She was granted the prestigi...

In this episode, the tables are turned a bit: NCTDR Executive Director Leah Wing interviews Ian about the trends and themes he's observed over the first 35 podcasts, following on Ian's retrospective from the 2025 ODR Forum in London. Leah is Senior Lecturer II on the faculty in the Legal Studies Program where she has taught since 1993 and she is on the Steering Committee of The Center for Justice,...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian interviews Dr. Chris Draper, Managing Director of Trokt, on the evolution of technology, AI, and ODR. Chris Draper is based in Des Moines, Iowa. Chris received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Glasgow. He is also a Venture Partner with VU Ventu...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian interviews REDEK CEO Nicolás Lozada on his evolving work in financial inclusion, empowerment, and ODR in Colombia. Nicolás Lozada is a lawyer with a strong academic and professional background in LegalTech, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), and international law. He is the founder of CREO, a financial inclusion platform that empowers women in informal transa...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian interviews ODR pioneer Graham Ross about the 2025 ODR Forum he's hosting in London April 29-30 (more information at odr2025.org ). About Graham Graham is Founder and President of TheMediationRoom.com .  He is a UK lawyer and mediator with over 20 years experience in IT and the law. Graham is the author of legal application software (accounts and time record...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Lissa Gerking of the Federal Bar Association in Brussels, and Chair in Civil Law, German, European and International Civil Procedure at the Leibniz University Hannover.  They discuss how the digital transformation of justice can reduce the focus on the core principle of a fair trial, sidelining several procedurally important aspects of in person...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Ayelet Sela, lecturer at the Faculty of Law in Bar Ilan University. Dr. Sela’s scholarship and teaching revolve around dispute system design, law and technology, courts, and empirical legal studies. Her recent academic work focuses on procedural design, procedural justice and access to justice in online courts and tribunals as well as in hybrid...

In this part two episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Clare Fowler, Executive Vice President of Mediate.com, on the ethical ramifications of using AI in dispute resolution. Clare Fowler is Executive Vice-President and Managing Editor at Mediate.com, as well as a professor at the University of Oregon and a practicing workplace mediator. Clare received her Master's of Dispute Resolution from...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Clare Fowler, Executive Vice President of Mediate.com, on the future of AI and ODR, and the new International Bar Association standards for using AI in dispute resolution. Clare Fowler is Executive Vice-President and Managing Editor at Mediate.com, as well as a professor at the University of Oregon and a practicing workplace mediator. Clare rece...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Zbynek Loebl and Leah Wing about the 2024 ODR Forum , which took place in Prague June 5-6, 2024.   Zbynek is of counsel at PRK Partners in Prague. He specialises in the field of Internet law and legal aspects of ICT and technology projects. With extensive experience in internet law, convergent services, electronic communications, e-commerce, per...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Zbynek Loebl, of counsel at PRK Partners in Prague, and host of the upcoming ODR Forum meeting http://odr2024.org .   Zbynek Loebl specialises in the field of Internet law and legal aspects of ICT and technology projects. A specialist in internet law, convergent services, electronic communications, e-commerce, personal data protection, cyber sec...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Dr. Sanjana Hattotuwa, pioneer in ICT for peacebuilding and citizen journalism.   Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa has recently returned to Sri Lanka after a several years in New Zealand where he completed his doctorate at Otago University with a thesis on "Liking hate? Social media, politics, and conflict in Sri Lanka." He has also been Research Director w...

In this episode Ian chats with Janet Martinez, Senior Lecturer - Emeritus and retired Director of the Martin Daniel Gould Center for Conflict Resolution at Stanford Law School. Janet taught negotiation, advanced negotiation, dispute systems design, and ADR law and policy. She practiced corporate law for ten years in San Francisco, latterly as Senior Counsel for McKesson Corporation’s acquisitions...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Matt Bartlett, a doctoral student at Columbia Law School, where he also recently completed his LLM. His research focuses on the regulation of emerging technologies (particularly AI). He has taught technology law and policy at the University of Auckland, and writes about technology issues at Technocracy. He has also written recently on the EU AI...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Dr. Fahimeh Abedi, Research Fellow at the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics (CAIDE) at the University of Melbourne. With a strong research background spanning over 10 years, Fahimeh has focussed her work on exploring the intersection of law and artificial intelligence. She holds a PhD from Victoria University, Melbourne; and an LLM from the Natio...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Ben Davis, Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Toledo Law School. Professor Benjamin Davis joined the College of Law faculty in 2003 and retired on Jan. 31, 2021. He is a graduate of Harvard College (B.A.), Harvard Law School (J.D), and Harvard Business School (M.B.A.) where he was articles editor of the Harvard International Law Jour...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian speaks with Keri Morris and Isobel Egerton about ODR for Domain Name Disputes. Keri Morris is ODR Establishment Project Manager at the Domain Names Commission. She joined the Domain Name Commission [DNC] in July 2021 to help set up the Online Dispute Resolution programme. She is a mediator who strongly believes in helping people resolve their own disputes. ...

In this episode of the ICODR podcast Ian interviews Irene Sigismondi, attorney at Law, a trainer and a contract professor at the Universities of Rome “La Sapienza” and LUISS “Guido Carli”, in the field of Public/Constitutional Law, Legal Theory and Law and Technology (including ODR).  After getting her degree in law (LUISS, Rome 1995), she became a practicing attorney in Rome, 1998.  Irene then ga...