Hon. Diane O. Leasure (Ret.)

Since 2012, Judge Leasure has served as a mediator for the Court of Special Appeals’ mediation program. In addition to serving as a Senior Judge, she served as the Senior Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She has a private mediation and arbitration practice and to date has conducted hundreds of mediations and arbitrations. She mediates cases pending (or anticipated to be filed) in both state and federal courts. Judge Leasure is a member of the Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence. She received her mediation training through the American Bar Association’s 40-Hour National Mediation Training for Judges taught by faculty from Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute, and has taken advanced mediation courses offered by the Straus Institute in conjunction with the University of Vermont School of Law and the Center for Dispute Resolution at Maryland Carey School of Law.
Judge Leasure is a neutral with the American Arbitration Association and is on both the mediation and arbitration list of neutrals.

Education:

• Rutgers University School of Law (J.D. 1982)
• Francis King Carey School of Law, f/k/a University of Maryland School of Law (non-degree visiting student, 1981-1982)
• Drexel University (M.S.)
• Rowan University, f/k/a Glassboro State College ( B.A., magna cum laude)
• Virginia Tech (1970-1972; I transferred from Virginia Tech to Rowan University after my marriage and move to N.J.)

Trainings:

• Has attended and taken numerous arbitration and mediation training programs for panel neutrals sponsored by the American Arbitration Association
• Has attended several advanced mediation programs sponsored by the Straus Institute (Pepperdine University)
• American Bar Association National Mediation Training for Judges (40-hour course; September 2007)
• 2007 ASTAR Advanced Judicial Institute on Nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology and Environmental Biotechnology (March 2007)
• 2006 ASTAR National Judges' Science School - Case Conference on Novel Bioscience in the Courtroom:  Evidence, Experts and Causation (October 2006)
• ASTAR Science Workshop - Plant and Animal Genomics, Clinical Application of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Stem Cell Research and Applications, Neuroimaging and Applications (April 2006)
• ASTAR Boot Camp for Maryland and Ohio ASTA Resource Judges - The Language of the Life Sciences (October 2005)
• Has attended and served as a faculty member for numerous Judicial College programs in Maryland

Neutral with the American Arbitration Association on both the mediation and arbitration list of neutrals

Member - Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence

Member of several local and state bar associations and has chaired nuumerous committees and held leadership positions in these organizations over the years

$500.00 per hour.  No administrative expenses.  No travel expenses unless outside of Baltimore, MD or Washington, DC metropolitan areas; travel expenses at actual cost.