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Next IAM Board Meeting – January 11, 2010

The next meeting of the IAM Board of Directors has been set for Tuesday, January 11, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. (EDST) and will be held by teleconference. Members are encouraged to participate. For details on how to join the discussion,contact Mary Hoeller.

2009 – 2010 IAM Officers and Directors

At the Annual Meeting of the Membership held on October 29, 2009, the following officers and directors were elected to serve for the 2009 - 2010 term:

Mary Hoeller, Indianapolis, as President & Director; Bill Kuntz, Indianapolis, as President-Elect & Director; Barbra Bachmeier, Indianapolis, as Secretary & Director; and Rick Wacker, Trafalgar, as Treasurer & Director. Cindy Felsten, Columbus, will serve as the Immediate Past-President of the Association and as a Director. Also elected as Directors were: Josephine Hughes, Indianapolis; Eileen Maguire, Noblesville; Doug McMillan, Valparaiso, Marvin Pavlov, Columbus; Dana Renay, Carmel, and Kim Van Valer, Greenwood.

Supreme Court Adopts New Rules

On September 15, 2009, the Indiana Supreme Court adopted changes to the Indiana Child Support Support Rules and Guidelines and on September 24, 2009, the Court adopted proposed rules changing the Indiana Rules for Alternative Dispute Resolution. Both Rules become effective on January 1, 2010. At the request of IAM members, a conference call to discuss the new ADR Rules was held on November 16, 2009.

IAM Marketing Conference – February 27, 2010 – for all ADR Mediators, Social Workers, Arbitrators, and Retired Judges

The next IAM Conference will be held at the offices of the National Association of Social Workers - Indiana Chapter, at 1100 W. 42nd Street, Suite 226, (near the Butler University campus) in Indianapolis on February 27, 2010. Our featured speaker for this Conference will once again be Diana Mercer. Diana is an Attorney-Mediator and the founder of Peace Talks Mediation Services in Los Angeles, CA. She is the co-author of Your Divorce Advisor (Simon & Schuster 2001) and her new book When Divorce Works will be published by Penguin in 2010. She is an Advanced Practitioner Member of the Association for Conflict Resolution and is admitted to practice in California, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and before the U.S. Supreme Court. She is also the Co-Chair of the Practice Development Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association. She is a frequent guest faculty speaker at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. In February of this year, she spoke at the ABA DRS Midyear meeting in Boston on the topic Successfully Transitioning to or Starting an ADR Practice and, in 2008, spoke at the ABA DRS Tenth Annual National Conference on the topic Upsizing: How to Build and Operate an Increasingly Profitable and Sustainable ADR Practice. Diana is the author of more than 30 articles on mediation and has presented mediation seminars across the country.

This Conference will be an expanded version of the presentation she will give at the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Conference in 2010, so if you aren't planning on making the trip to San Francisco, be sure to take advantage of this exciting opportunity in INDY. You will leave with a marketing plan based on YOUR personal strengths & interests that can be implemented on Monday morning! This Conference is primarily designed to address the marketing needs of the solo practitioner or small firm.

A successful ADR practice can't be built on luck alone. As more professionals join the field there will be more competition for cases. Creating a marketing plan which you will actually implement can help you grow your practice, educate the public, and enhance your client service. Developing your signature style and defining what makes your practice unique will set you apart as a professional. And even if you're a solo practitioner, operating your ADR practice as a professionally run business just makes sense in these tough economic times.

Topics that will be covered at the IAM Conference include:

  • Elements of a successful marketing plan for the solo practitioner
  • Identifying the best referral prospects
  • Effective networking
  • Marketing on a budget - what works and what doesn't?
  • Web marketing including use of blogs, social networking sites, podcasts, webinars, anchor text & backlinks
  • Branding your mediation practice
  • Marketing through Client Service, creating a client-based practice
  • Measuring your success - ROI and metrics
  • Introduction to upsizing your practice

Whether you're just beginning or have been practicing for years, this Conference promises to help you get new clients and build your practice on proven marketing techniques. So, don't miss your chance to hear this dynamic nationally-recognized speaker right here in Indianapolis! Registration is limited to the first 75 paid registrations received. However, as an incentive to register early, the first 25 IAM members or persons who join the IAM and register for the Conference will receive a $25.00 Speedway Gas Gift Card. If you send in an IAM Membership Application before the first of the year with your registration, the price of your IAM dues for 2009 and 2010 is included in the price of registration.

For your convenience, the following is also available for your review:

The ICCLE has approved the Conference for: 7.5 hours CME. The NASW has also approved the Conference for 7.5 hours of Approved Social Worker CEU.

Cost of Conference Registration:

   Current IAM & NASW Members:$175
   Non-members with 2009 & 2010 IAM membership included:  $250
   Non-members wishing to attend but not join the IAM:$300

Your registration includes all Conference materials, as well as breakfast and lunch. There will be time for extensive networking and to get answers to your questions, so come prepared! To keep transaction costs down, the IAM does not accept credit card payments.