Brady Collins - First week at AIA

I arrived in Brussels last Friday to give myself the weekend before starting work. This gave me the chance the move into my apartment and familiarize myself with the city a bit. It was definitely a good idea, because after the first week it appears that I will be working from 9am-7pm everyday, and will not have much time during to see much outside of the office. I work at AIA (The Association for International Arbitration), which is a non-profit organization that promotes the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms. ADR is a rapidly growing field. It started as a subsidiary field for legal professions to involve themselves in, but has grown to include "practitioners of justice" from all different backgrounds. Therefore, while AIA was started by a lawyer (my boss), it markets itself to anyone who wishes to work towards conflict management and dispute resolution.

I am the only intern in AIA which I like because I have the freedom to do more and can receive as much attention and help as I need. There are, however, other law students who are doing a traineeship in my boss's law office, which is attached to the AIA office. The first couple days I felt a bit lost, and was dabbling in some work without really knowing the purpose or any concrete deadline. Finally on Wednesday there was a meeting for AIA members and I received a formal greeting, as well as an outline of the future goals for the organizations and what my role will be for the six months I am here. Afterwards, I felt much better and was very excited to know exactly what I will be working on and what it is going towards.

They evidently have a lot of trust in me, yet it seems they feel I am more experienced in ADR than I really am. It is truly amazing the responsibilities they have granted me, and at times I feel a little overwhelmed. AIA has a newsletter that it published every month, and I will be acting as editor and publisher. I am also encouraged to write articles for the newsletter that relate ADR. This week I wrote an article about the financial crisis and the increasing amount of investment arbitration cases that have been filed as financial institutions and investors try to get back on their feet. I will also be involved with putting together what is called the "European Mediation Training Scheme for Practitioners of Justice."

Essentially, after received a grant from the EU Commission AIA is trying to put together a mediation course that can be taken by anyone (lawyers or not), thus awarding them a certification of "International Mediator" that will allow them to practice ADR across the entire EU. This week I had to call mediation centers from all over the EU to ask them it they want to be a part of the project. Later, I will be responsible for coordinating with each center as we design the curriculum and appoint teachers. I also spent some time looking over case files and documents about ongoing international disputes, and helping Mr. Billet (my boss) to type up arbitration awards dictating how to resolve the dispute.

The biggest shock came when my boss told me that after being invited to speak at a conference on international mediation in Warsaw, Poland, he has decided he wants to send me in his place. This means I had to propose a paper to the conference panelists, and if it is accepted I will go to Warsaw in February to present it to the Conference participants. This is both exciting and utterly terrifying. I have proposed the paper outline, and am currently awaiting their response. This week I should hear back, and will either be calmly disappointed or enthusiastically intimidated..does that make sense?