ABA Dispute Resolution Section 2026 Skills Summit Includes Joint IOA Programming

The American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section will host its inaugural Skills Summit on April 15-16, 2026. The first day of the virtual event will overlap with the third day of the IOA annual conference, with Day 1 designed as a concurrent program bringing together Ombuds and other dispute resolution professionals. (Participants will need to register for only one or the other event, not both.) In addition, the Skills Summit has been pre-approved for Certified Organizational Ombuds Professional Development Hours. 

Programming on April 15 includes: 

• “Facilitating a Conflict Management Workshop with Impact” (3 PDH);
• “Theory in Action: Deepening Skills for Multi-Party & Team Disputes” (3 PDH);

Workshops on Day 2 of Skills Summit, April 16, focus on broader ADR work, which are also relevant to core competencies of Ombuds practice: 

• “Say It Simply – Mastering Clear Communication” (2 PDH); and 
• “Speak with Impact – Building Presence & Engagement” (2 PDH). 

The joint programming with IOA offers a rare point of intersection between the two communities. (2026 DRS Skills Summit.)

Revised 3/18/26: The post was edited to clarify several details regarding the relationship between the two events.

Note: While registration for either the ABA DR Skills Summit or the IOA Annual Conference provides access to the joint programming on Wednesday, April 15, participants will need to be registered for the ABA DR Skills Summit to attend the Thursday programming.

Related posts: ABA's 2023 Dispute Resolution Section Spring Conference Includes Two Ombuds Sessions; Dispute Resolution Section 2024 Conference Registration Now Open; IOA Announces Agenda for 2026 Virtual Conference; ABA House of Delegates Endorses Organizational Ombuds Practices Act.