Ron and Ed first encountered Colin Rule's work when reading Richard and Daniel Susskind's book, The Future of the Professions (Episode 74) in which the online dispute resolution system used by eBay was touted as handling more cases per year than the entire US court system. In what promises to be a wide-ranging interview, Ron and Ed will explore this topic and more.
Before we get into the show notes, let’s learn a bit more about Colin rule:
Colin Rule was the first employee hired by Mediate.com when he served as Mediate.com’s first General Manager in 1999. With RIS support, Rule founded OnlineResolution.com in 2000, one of the world’s first online dispute resolution (ODR) providers. In 2003 Rule became the first Director of ODR for eBay and PayPal. In 2011 Rule co-founded Modria.com, an ODR provider he led as CEO and COO. In 2017 Tyler Technologies acquired Modria and Rule became Tyler’s first Vice President of Online Dispute Resolution. Colin is the author of Online Dispute Resolution for Business, published by Jossey-Bass in 2002, and The New Handshake: Online Dispute Resolution and the Future of Consumer Protection, published by the American Bar Association in 2017. He received the first Frank Sander Award for Innovation in ADR from the American Bar Association in 2020, and the Mary Parker Follett Award from the Association for Conflict Resolution in 2013. He holds a Master's degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in conflict resolution and technology, a graduate certificate in dispute resolution from UMass-Boston, a B.A. from Haverford College in Peace Studies, and he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Eritrea from 1995-1997.
Here are the show notes from Colin’s interview with Ron and Ed:
Colin has always been interested in dispute resolution and he “is also a nerd” - Two minutes into the show and we love him already!
It’s clear that we are digitizing our society from social networks, to iPhones, to wifi over the last 20 years. The next 20 will be even more disruptive. AI, the metaverse, quantum computing. We need to continually reinvent the way we deliver key functions in society.
eBay, PayPal, AirBNB, Uber. They have all built their own redress systems / resolution centers instead of relying on the traditional justice system.
Here’s a quick primer: Mediation is kind of like assisted negotiation. Any outcome is by agreement from both of the parties.
“The notion of decentralized justice is interesting because the outcomes can be automatically enforced.” —Colin Rule
Mediation is when two parties come together with a third party to help guide; Arbitration is when the third party has authority; Binding arbitration is when the result must be followed
“Rationality is in the eye of the beholder.” —Colin Rule
There are challenges in integrating artificial intelligence into the justice system. Colin has lengthy (positive) thoughts about this during the second segment of our show today.
Has there been an Increase in mediation with Covid? Yes, there has been a massive move online and it probably will not significantly revert back.
Take a moment and check out Patreon.com/TSOE where you will find both commercial free AND bonus episodes. Sponsored by @90Minds. Need a mind? Get one at 90Minds.com
The ICC International Court of Arbitration is part of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France. https://iccwbo.org/dispute-resolution-services/icc-international-court-arbitration/
Younger generations are very comfortable with emotional expression via technology. This is an example of why online dispute resolution works for family matters.
Where could online dispute resolution fit where it is not being applied today? Video games. (With a hat tip to Anne Sawyer)
“The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed.” —William Gibson
It’s really interesting to Colin when he thinks about an algorithm that can go out and advocate on your behalf. More details during the 4th segment of our show today.A big THANK YOU to Colin Rule for being such an amazing guest. Check out “The New Handshake: Online Dispute Resolution and the Future of Consumer Protection” on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/New-Handshake-Resolution-Consumer-Protection/dp/B072BX9BRQ
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