When you first meet Professor Aparna Polavarapu, it is clear she is not someone who followed a predictable path. Sure, she’s got the résumé: a J.D. and LL.M. from Georgetown University, M.A.L.D. from The Fletcher School, and years of teaching and research in human rights and restorative justice. But what stands out most is how much heart she brings to the work.

Polavarapu recently joined the William S. Boyd School of Law as Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution, bringing with her a career defined by one big idea

Joe Itkoff (’26) and Sean Jarchow (’26) represented Boyd at the ABA Regional Student Negotiation Competition, held October 18–19, 2025, at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Regional featured a large and highly competitive field of 28 teams. Joe and Sean won one of their rounds and narrowly dropped another, earning consistent praise from judges for their preparation, professionalism, and execution.

“As their coach, I can attest to the quality of their preparation and relentless energy and competitiveness,” said Professor Patrick Chapin. “They represented Boyd in a proud

Faculty affiliated with the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution continue to shape national and international conversations about law, justice, and dispute resolution. Their recent publications, presentations, and projects reflect the depth and diversity of scholarship at Boyd Law.

Lydia Nussbaum

Associate Dean Lydia Nussbaum continued to advance the field of dispute resolution through teaching innovation and applied scholarship.

She co-presented “Stop Guessing and Start Listening: The Why & How of Legal Needs Assessment” at the AALS Annual Conference on Clinical Legal Education in Baltimore

Written By Tommy Gugino

The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV continues to enhance its global reputation for producing impactful scholarship and research in the multifaceted field of dispute resolution. In 2023 and 2024, Boyd Law faculty furthered the understanding of disputes and dispute resolution through a variety of published articles and presentations delivered both in person and virtually across the globe.

Below is a selection of their most recent work:

Professor Lydia Nussbaum, Director of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution and

By Matt Jacob

The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV continues to build on its global reputation for impactful writing and research in the multidimensional realm of dispute resolution. Those contributions continued in 2022 and 2023, with Boyd Law faculty advancing their understanding of disputes and dispute resolution through their published articles, as well as live and virtual presentations around the world.

Here is a sampling of their most recent work:

Professor Lydia Nussbaum, Director of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution and

By Matt Jacob

If someone had told a young Jean Sternlight that she would become one of the legal community’s foremost authorities on alternative dispute resolution, she would’ve laughed.

And after that laughter stopped, she might have uttered a few choice words. 

“Early in my legal career, I saw myself primarily as a litigator,” Sternlight says. “Frankly, I thought negotiation, mediation and arbitration were a little bit for wimps — and I wasn’t a wimp.”

As she matured in her career, though, Sternlight began to realize that it was often in her clients’ best interests to resolve legal

When Jae Barrick decided to embark on a midlife career change—a change that would begin with her enrollment at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV—there wasn’t much doubt that she would gravitate toward the world of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). After all, it was something that was ingrained in her while growing up in the mountains of West Virginia.

“My dad was a union arbitrator whose job was to argue with union guys in preparation for contract negotiations and other issues,” Barrick says. “So as children, we were pretty much forced by dinner conversation to always see two

The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV continues to build on its global reputation for impactful writing and research in the multidimensional realm of dispute resolution.

Compelling articles from Saltman Center professors explore the vast nuances of dispute resolution 

Lydia Nussbaum’s main goal as she takes the reigns of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution: Pick up where her predecessor left off