Robert Alan Baruch Bush (born January 24, 1948) is an American legal scholar working as the Harry H. Rains Distinguished Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Law at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law.

Early life and education

Bush was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1969 and a Juris Doctor from the Stanford Law School in 1974.

Career

Together with Joseph Folger of Temple University he is the originator, and best known advocate, of the transformative model of mediation. He has authored over two dozen articles and books on mediation and ADR. In 2006 he received the Annual PeaceBuilder Award by the New York State Dispute Resolution Association to honor individuals and organizations that have promoted the field of ADR. He authored an article on mediation in the Jewish tradition, discovering that many of his earlier research findings were compatible with Jewish principles of mediation (P'shara). He has practiced mediation in various contexts since starting a community mediation program in San Francisco in 1976, and has developed and conducted many training programs on mediation and ADR, including training for lawyers and judges. He has been at Hofstra Law School since 1980.

Personal life

Coming from a secular Jewish environment, in his adult life, Bush became an orthodox Chabad Jew.