“Mediation Beyond Reason: The Use and Abuse of Power and Emotion,” a free court-annexed mediation seminar, will be presented Thursday, Nov. 9, as part of the Cook County Circuit Court Law Division series. The speaker is Steven Schwartz.

The brown-bag luncheon seminars for judges, lawyers and mediators are conducted on the second Thursday of each month, with co-sponsorship by the ISBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.

They take place at 12 noon in courtroom 2005 of the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago. Reservations should be made by calling Raimondi Ferenzi at (312) 603-6078 or Kim Atz at (312) 793-0125.

Dates and topics of future presentations are:

Thursday, Dec. 14 – “Becoming a Master Mediator: The Art of Unlearning,” with Andy G. Miller.

Thursday, Jan. 11 – “Mediating Customer-Broker Securities Disputes: What Does Counsel Want from the Mediator and the Mediation?” Panelists are Kent Lawrence, Leslie Blau, Bruce Lewitas and Andrew Stoltman.

Program topics and presenters will be announced later for seminars on Feb. 8, March 8 and April 12.