Andrew Schepard, Director of the Center for Children, Families and the Law and Professor of Law, will give a keynote address titled "The Promise of Mediation for Children and How to Make Promises Come True" at the Northeast Mediation Conference, Mediate for the Children, sponsored by the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation. The conference is being held today, April 30, 2009, in Tarrytown, New York.

Professor Schepard will suggest initiatives available to the mediation community to influence public policy and legislation in New York to effectively advance the option of mediation for children and families to avoid the ravages of the adversarial system.