The impact of expert views on ADR (EVA) vid/Podcast show – Dr Chinwe Egbunike-Umegbolu explains

Chinwe Egbunike-Umegbolu, a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, is a part-time lecturer at the Law Department, University of Brighton (UoB), United Kingdom. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA), a Postdoctoral Fellow and a Fellow of the American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution. Egbunike-Umegbolu is the Host and the Producer of Expert Views on [Appropriate Dispute Resolution] ADR – the EVA Vid/Podcast Show.

In her words, ‘the EVA Vid/Podcast show is about simplifying the Traditional African Method of Settling Disputes or ADR and Multi-Door Court House (MDC) to attract more users. The aim is to normalise this method around the world as the means of settling disputes via Mediation, Arbitration, Collaborative Law, Negotiation, Conciliation, Restorative Justice and Early Neutral Evaluation. ADR is an alternative method to litigation. Recent research (Umegbolu 2021) depicts that ADR mediation is cheaper, faster and more flexible than litigation. Besides that, disputes or conflicts escalate more under litigation (Umegbolu 2021). Do not short-change yourself; insist on ADR’.

Dr. Egbunike-Umegbolu created the EVA Vid/Podcast Show as a PhD candidate at the University of Brighton, to sensitise Alternative or Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR), which is her research area. She firmly believes that since the podcast is free, many people would listen to it, and the following aims would be achieved: to change the psyche of the citizenry from litigation to alternative methods of settling disputes (which she calls the peace-making route) in different jurisdictions.

Secondly, the podcast will disseminate ADR to non-academics that would not have the time to read research papers and, of course, potential users of ADR in a bid to get more people to opt for ADR. Finally, ADR should be included in the educational curriculum and made compulsory in secondary schools. For instance, in most jurisdictions, students are not even allowed to specialise in Arbitration, Collaborative Law, or Mediation, amongst others, as core dispute resolution courses and in other jurisdictions, it is not a compulsory course yet, even in Law Schools. This creates an unbalanced story, or, better put; it is not on equal footing with its counterpart litigation.

She was the first to start a Traditional African Method of Settling Disputes / Multi-Door Courthouse Podcast / ADR vid/podcast show. Currently, EVA Vid/Podcast Show is now on YouTube with over 2,000 views and ninety-nine (99) subscribers. Hopefully, more people will subscribe and hear about the benefits associated or the effectiveness of TAMSD /ADR. Dr. Egbunike-Umegbolu’s little dreams to put out ADR in the online space uniquely packaged via a Podcast is now a reality! She has over 1000 people listening to her podcast from not less than forty (40) countries.

The EVA Vid/Podcast Show has successfully interviewed several world-renowned leading experts in the legal profession and ADR from different jurisdictions. The list includes: Professor Ken Cloke, Founder and First President of Mediators Beyond Borders (MBB), David Hoffman (Harvard Law Lecturer and Founder of the Boston Law Collaborative LLC).  Mrs Adeyinka Aroyewun, (Director of the LMDC), Professor Emilia Onyema (SOAS; convenes the SOAS Arbitration in Africa” conference), Professor Mark Feldman (Law Lecturer at Peking University, China), Professor David  Allen Larson (Mitchell Hamline School of Law and Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution), Mr Kehinde Aina, Founder of the Multi-Door Courthouse (MDC) in Nigeria, Dean and Emeritus Professor James Alfini, Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, Professor Susan Blake, Associate Dean City Law University London, Professor Bryan Clark, Law lecturer at the Newcastle University, Professor  Lela Love a professor of law and the founding director of the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (NYC). Others are: Mrs Caroline Etuk (ESMDC Director), Professor Kevin Scudder, a Collaborative Attorney, Mediator, Writer, Trainer, and founder of the Seattle Collaborative Law Center, PLLC, based in Washington DC, Marc Sheridan, Past Chair of the Westchester County Bar ADR Committee and Partner Markus & Sheridan in New York City, Mr Ikechukwu Onuoma, Managing Partner Obra Legal and Mrs Achere Cole, the Acting Director of the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse (LMDC) and amongst others.

The journey has been both tough and eventful. At some seasons, periods, moments and intervals on this great journey, Dr. Egbunike-Umegbolu have felt like giving up, but thanks to all those that believed in her even at her lowest – family, colleagues, friends, well-wishers – that encouraged her in one way or the other. Their support has led her thus far.
Dr Chinwe Egbunike; the host and producer of EVA show strongly believes that, ‘If this world must be at home with ADR via podcasting, I am thrilled to have played an incredibly colossal part to see it materialise into reality while becoming the norm’.