view . spring 2013
9
Curiosity may have killed the cat but it makes for a great
mediator.
So says Windsor Law grad Allan Stitt LLB ’88, who has
taught classes on mediation around the world.
“You have to be genuinely curious. A good mediator asks all
the questions and gathers all the information, without assuming the
answer or jumping to conclusions.”
Stitt, a chartered mediator and arbitrator, is president of ADR
Chambers, a panel of retired judges,
experienced lawyers and other dispute
resolution professionals. The group is
dedicated to assisting legal and business
communities in resolving disputes, both
nationally and internationally, in a timely
and cost-effective manner.
He also co-founded the Stitt Feld
Handy Group, which delivers training
in negotiation, mediation, arbitration,
alternative dispute resolution and
communication skills, in a joint
venture with the University of
Windsor Faculty of Law.
For Stitt, the Windsor connection
began in the mid-1980s, when he
enrolled in the law school and graduated at the top of his class in
1988. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the University of Windsor.
I was immediately struck by the lack of competitiveness among the
students. They were all willing to work together and help each other
out. The professors fostered a non-competitive environment and I
really appreciated that,” he says.
His career as a mediator happened almost by accident. After
practising law for several years, Stitt felt that it wasn’t the right path
for him and decided to pursue academia. “I decided that I didn’t
want to be a litigator for the rest of my life. I felt awful when my
clients lost, and even when they won, it didn’t feel great.”
While obtaining his Master of Laws at Harvard Law School, he
became hooked on negotiation. “It’s getting people together and
trying to do something together that’s better for them than they can
do on their own. It just felt more consistent with my personality.”
Stitt combined his desire to teach with his affinity for negotiation
as a law instructor at both the University of Windsor and the
University of Toronto. In 1994, he went a step further and teamed
up with fellow mediators Lisa Feld and Frank Handy to form the
Stitt Feld Handy Group. The group holds training courses to educate
people from all professions on how to
effectively resolve conflict.
“There’s no short answer or magic
way to resolve conflict, but there are
tools you can put in your tool belt that
will make it more likely that you will
resolve a conflict,” he says.
The Stitt Feld Handy Group teaches
courses around the world, from Brazil
to Ethiopia, which has provided
many rewarding experiences to the
facilitators. Stitt recounts the time
he spent teaching at a high school in
Dublin during the period of civil unrest
in Ireland. Initially, the citizens of the
south would not sit anywhere near the
citizens of the north. However, using the tools taught in the course,
the two sides were able to try to work through their differences
together—in the classroom at least.
Stitt always brings back one interesting souvenir from every place
that he teaches. A collector at heart, he also owns one of Canada’s
largest collections of sports memorabilia, including rare hockey
sticks, player contracts and signed baseballs. A few years ago, he even
got the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Blue Jays game.
The Windsor law grad doesn’t see himself retiring any time
soon. “I’d prefer to never have to retire completely,” he says.
“There is no such thing as a typical day for me, and that’s what
keeps it exciting and rewarding.”
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Dawn Trottier is a second-year student in Digital Journalism.
AN ALTERNATIVE PATH
Allan Stitt LLB ’88
ALUMNI PROFILE
BY DAWN TROTTIER
“YOU HAVE TO BE GENUINELY
CURIOUS. A GOOD MEDIATOR
ASKS ALL THE QUESTIONS AND
GATHERS ALL THE INFORMATION,
WITHOUT ASSUMING THE
ANSWER OR JUMPING TO
CONCLUSIONS.”
ALLAN STITT JD ’88
