Lela Porter Love

Lela Porter Love is a Professor of Law at Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City, where she serves as founding director of the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution—ranked among the top ten U.S. law school dispute resolution programs by U.S. News and World Report since 2000. She established Cardozo's Mediation Clinic in 1985, pioneering clinical training for law students as mediators. Her practice spans community, employment, family, human rights, school-based, and commercial disputes, including the landmark Glen Cove public policy mediation.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. from Harvard University (1973)
• M.Ed. from Virginia Commonwealth University (1975)
• J.D. from Georgetown University (1979)

Love’s research revolutionizes dispute resolution through critical analysis of mediation theory and practice. She challenges conventional approaches like Riskin’s Grid while advancing co-mediation frameworks and restorative justice applications. Her work bridges academic scholarship and real-world impact, particularly in estate planning clauses and public policy disputes, emphasizing mediator neutrality and transformative dialogue techniques. As Past Chair of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, she initiated the International Mediation Leadership Summit in The Hague.

Her publications chronicle mediation’s evolution from niche practice to mainstream dispute resolution, highlighting trends in mediator roles, ethical boundaries, and cross-cultural applications. Key themes include the tension between evaluation and facilitation in mediation, systemic integration of ADR in legal frameworks, and narrative approaches through collections like Stories Mediators Tell.

Her accolades include:

• Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Academy of Mediators (2012)
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Civil Trial Mediators (2010)
• “Front Line Champion” Award from the Association of the Bar of NYC (2009)

As founder of Cardozo’s Mediation Clinic, Love mentors law students in practical mediation while directing the Kukin Program’s curriculum. She developed international training programs and the Restorative Justice Prison Project, demonstrating sustained commitment to experiential education. Her leadership in ABA initiatives and the Hague Summit reflects institutional support for her vision of global dispute resolution standards.

The Kukin Program operates as Cardozo’s dispute resolution hub, integrating the Mediation Clinic with courses like Innovations in Justice and ADR Competition Honor Society Moot Camp. Love’s teams conduct high-impact community mediations and develop curricula influencing national ADR standards, with the program’s 20+ year top-ten ranking validating its structural effectiveness.