Kristen Blankley

Professor Blankley is the Henry M. Grether, Jr., Professor of Law. She teaches and researches in the areas of alternative dispute resolution, legal ethics, and at the intersection of ethics and dispute resolution. She teaches Alternative Dispute Resolution, Advocacy in Mediation, Mediation, Family Mediation, Arbitration, Facilitation, and Legal Professions, and Sports Law Practice. She also coaches students in mediation competitions.

Professor Blankley researches a wide variety of topics within alternative dispute resolution. She publishes on domestic arbitration topics under the Federal Arbitration Act, focusing on issues involving jurisdiction, preemption, statutory interpretation. She also writes on mediation ethics, arbitration ethics, collaborative law ethics, and other topics in the area of ADR ethics. She is also engaged in interdisciplinary research focusing primarily on restorative justice.   

She is involved in ADR policy within Nebraska as well as nationwide initiatives. Professor Blankley served as a member of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Council from 2016-2022, and she is a former chair for the Section on Ethics. Professor Blankley has been involved in developing ethics policies and standards in the areas of mediation, restorative justice, and special master work.

Professor Blankley currently sits on the University's Academic Rights and Responsibility Panel, which is an elected position. In 2024 she was named the Chair of the University of Nebraska's Intercollegiate Athletic Committee, which oversees the academic affairs of Husker Athletics. 

Locally, Professor Blankley sits on the Board of Directors of The Mediation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.  She is a past member of the Board of Directors and former Board President of the Nebraska Mediation Association.  She also serves as the Secretary of the Advisory Council for the Nebraska Office of Dispute Resolution. Professor Blankley serves as a community mediator for three community mediation centers across Nebraska. She is a member of the FINRA roster of arbitrators, for consumer and employment cases in the area of securities.

Professor Blankley joined the faculty in 2010. She received her B.A. in History and Political Science and graduated summa cum laude from Hiram College, and she received her J.D. from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, and graduating first in her class and earning a Certificate in Dispute Resolution. After law school, Professor Blankley served as a law clerk on the Sixth and Eighth Circuits and worked at the Columbus, Ohio office of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP (now Squire Patton Boggs).

Watch to see how Professor Blankley's research is disrupting the school to prison pipeline in Nebraska. 

• Alternative Dispute Resolution Law 708/G (3 cr hr)
  This course covers the theoretical, practical, ethical and legal issues confronted by mediators, arbitrators, neutral evaluators, and other dispute resolution specialists and the parties they serve. The course considers the legal context within which alternative forms of dispute resolution take place. Procedures examined include: litigation, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, summary jury trial, mini-trial, early neutral evaluation, online dispute resolution and negotiated rulemaking. The status of these procedures is examined in light of existing law and from a public policy point of view. Issues covered include: confidentiality and privilege, conflicts of interest, finality/enforceability of resolutions, liability and ethical standards for practitioners, and judicial review of decisions.
• Advocacy in Mediation Law 720 (2 cr hr)
  This limited enrollment course considers the differing roles of the neutral and the advocate in mediation, focusing on representing clients in all aspects of the mediation process. Students represent clients in drafting agreements to mediate, preparing for mediation, attending mediation sessions, and drafting mediation settlements. The course also covers issues such as confidentiality and ethics. This course employs role-play and drafting exercises, in addition to class discussions.
• Arbitration Law 709/G (3 cr hr)
  A study of arbitration law, policies, process, and skills; federal and state laws pertaining to arbitration; commercial, consumer, labor, employment, securities, construction, international, and court-annexed arbitration; and other topics related to arbitration as a method of alternative dispute resolution.
• Mediation Law 710/G (4 cr hr)
  A study of the process in which a trained neutral third party assists others in resolving a dispute or planning a transaction. Students will be trained in basic mediation skills through readings, demonstrations, simulations, and the keeping of a mediation journal. Topics covered include the nature of mediation and its relationship to other forms of dispute resolution, the nature of conflict, models and styles of mediation, negotiation theory, communication skills, the interest-based mediation process, the representation of clients in mediation, special issues relating to attorney mediators, and mediators standards and ethics.
• Negotiation Law 740/G (3 cr hr)
  This class will examine a variety of negotiation styles and give students an opportunity to apply these styles in a series of increasingly complex negotiation problems. Students will be expected to complete a journal which relates class discussions, lectures, readings, and personal experiences into a guide book for future negotiation practice. Negotiation problems will include plea bargains, personal injury cases, commercial negotiations, and labor management disputes. Strategic and psychological factors present in negotiation styles will be examined. The purpose of the class is to improve negotiation performance and broaden the repertoire of strategic and stylistic choices available to the student negotiator.
• Legal Profession Law 790/G; 3 (cr hr)
  A systematic study of the principles of professional responsibility governing the practice of law in the United States. This course meets the faculty's requirement for a course in professional responsibility.
• Family Mediation Law 588/G, 2 (cr hr)
  Family Mediation is a simulation-based class that meets the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Office of Dispute Resolution for an approved 30 training hours requirement to be a Parenting Act mediator under the Nebraska Parenting Act. This course explores issues involving family conflict, focusing on mediating and developing Parenting Plans for parents who are divorcing, separating, or in paternity actions. In this course, students will build on their knowledge of communication, mediation, negotiation, reflective practice, and self-awareness to prepare for family mediations. This course will use a variety of instructional methods, including discussions, lectures, videos, demonstrations, mediation role plays, coaching/feedback, exercises, and reflection. This course will be graded based on a reflective journal kept throughout the semester. Pre-requisite: Mediation (at the Law College) or equivalent outside mediation training with approval from the instructor.