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Just Resolutions

September 2024 – Ombuds Committee

Message from the Committee Chairs

Ryan Smith and Megan Patrice Willoughby

Message from the Committee Chairs
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The Ombuds Committee is thrilled to sponsor the September 2024 edition of Just Resolutions. We would like to acknowledge our authors, Dan Berstein, Laurel Gordon, Marcus Malone, Talia Martinez, Ryan Smith, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. We appreciate their immense contributions and the thoughtful perspectives shared through their writing. We also want to thank our Newsletter Chair, Marcus Stergio, for his coordination and editorial work on this edition.

As Committee Chairs, we are proud that the articles submitted represent the ombuds community as wholly as they do. Notably, the topics introduced should help readers distinguish between unique ombuds modalities, understand the skills required to be effective in our roles, and appreciate the enormous impact that ombuds of all varieties have on their stakeholders and constituencies. Our authors represent the advocate and organizational ombuds models, and they range from new attorneys interested in the ombuds profession to experienced, dispute resolution experts. We are thankful for the diversity of viewpoints featured in this year’s Ombuds Committee edition. 

We would also like to direct your attention to the upcoming Ombuds Day event on October 10, 2024. This will be the 7th recognition of Ombuds Day, and the theme is Ombuds: Here to Hear You. This year’s event will include a complementary webinar entitled Exploring the AI Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities for Ombuds. The program has been developed by the Ombuds Day Subcommittee, Co-Chaired by Ryan Smith and Marcus Stergio, and will feature a conversation between a respected AI expert and currently practicing ombuds. For more information about Ombuds Day, please be sure to visit www.OmbudsDay.com and the ABA Ombuds Day webpage.

The Ombuds Committee’s Legislative Action Task Force, spearheaded by Natalie Fleury, has completed its multi-year policy drafting project.  We are enormously proud of its efforts and delighted to introduce its Organizational Ombuds Model Act.  The Task Force will be presenting the Model Act to ABA members throughout the Dispute Resolution Section and across ABA Sections for their consideration of this important policy.  

We are grateful to Talia Martinez for her service as the Ombuds Committee Fellow this bar year.  She has contributed to each of our initiatives, establishing herself as an advocate, author and creative force on behalf of the ombuds profession.  She has developed marketing materials, assisted in program coordination, and was a featured guest of the Ombuds Committee.  We thank Talia for her dedication to the committee and look forward to her continued involvement in the Committee and Section.  

The Ombuds Committee is available to any ABA member who is interested in learning more about the ombuds field, from practitioners currently serving as ombuds to those just learning how to pronounce its name (/ˈɑːm.bʊdz/).  This committee facilitates connections with and education about all types of ombuds models, as well as professional development opportunities to research, write, and present your contributions to the field.  Please join us in developing your proficiencies in this powerful dispute resolution technique. 

Best Regards,

Meg Willoughby and Ryan Smith

Co-Chairs, Ombuds Committee, ABA Dispute Resolution Section

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