Associates

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J. Michael Harty, J.D.

J. Michael Harty, J.D., has over ten years experience in the field of conflict management and resolution. Harty focuses on complex public policy conflicts, particularly those involving natural resources. Water has been a dominant element of his recent work, including water rights adjudication and water project operations. Other natural resource projects have addressed mining, ecosystem restoration, and endangered species. Harty has extensive experience working with Native American tribes on natural resource and tribal trust issues. He also has worked successfully on disputes over the quality of public education, hazardous waste, local government annexation, professional school faculty governance, sexual harassment, and business contracts. Harty's experience as a lawyer has proved useful in a number of matters in litigation, including settlement of a Supreme Court case among Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado.

Harty holds a J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC and a B.A. cum laude from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. He also attended Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan and Grenoble University in Grenoble, France. Harty received his training in environmental and public policy mediation from CDR Associates, in mediation from the American Arbitration Association, and in facilitation from Interaction Associates.

Prior to 1995, Harty practiced law for approximately nine years in a variety of settings, including O'Melveny & Myers (NYC), The Hannon Law Firm (Denver), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NYC). He is familiar with a wide range of federal environmental statues including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, NEPA, and Endangered Species Act, along with some state statutes such as CEQA, as a result of his legal and mediation experience.

Harty has extensive experience convening, designing and facilitating/mediating large and complex public and organizational disputes. These include large-scale collaborative planning efforts, public policy dialogues, regulatory negotiations, and site specific disputes. He has conducted numerous assessments of the potential for using mediation in sensitive contexts. He also has played a flexible role in advising a range of clients about conflict management strategies. Harty also has extensive experience designing and conducting training in negotiation and collaborative problem solving.