Two-Track© Legal Education and Convening Services is a division of Blue Lion© Conflict Solutions, LLC. Building on models that integrate negotiation theory and practice (from psychology) with dispute resolution theory and practice (from the practice of law), we provide convening, case administration, and program evaluation services to parties and their attorneys.
The Two-Track Mission
The mission of Two-Track Legal Education and Convening Services is to help parties and their attorneys save time and money in dispute resolution by maximizing the opportunity for negotiated resolution of cases. We do this by offering a full menu of services, including attorney referral, convening services, skills training, and organizational consultation aimed at integrating Two-Track into ongoing operations.
Meet Our Team
Karl Slaikeu
Karl A. Slaikeu, Ph.D., an internationally recognized psychologist, mediator and author, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.A), Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and the State University of New York at Buffalo (M.A., Ph.D.). The author of numerous books and professional articles, Karl has over three decades’ experience in mediating commercial, organizational, and faith based disputes.
His model for psychological first aid has been translated into thirty-two languages for use by the American Red Cross to help earthquake and tsunami survivors in Central America and Asia.
In 2009-10 Karl served as a Sr. Social Scientist with the US Army in Afghanistan, where he interviewed villagers and helped Coalition Forces adjust stability operations to address needs of the local population.
Formerly he held a tenured faculty position in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina, and taught in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
Erich Birch
Erich Birch, J.D., P.E., has over twenty-five years of legal experience in the areas of environmental, administrative, and contract law. As a former attorney with a state regulatory agency he convened and moderated public meetings, developed policy and advocated on public interest issues. In private law practice Erich has represented corporations, municipalities, small businesses, and individuals on a wide array of regulatory and environmental issues.
Erich is a mediator, arbitrator, and facilitator, and currently serves on the panel of the American Arbitration Association, and provides dispute resolution and facilitation services to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He currently serves as Chair of the ADR Council of the State Bar of Texas, is a former Board member of the Texas Association of Mediators, and is a Credentialed mediator in Texas.
Prior to practicing law, Erich was an engineer for a fortune 500 company working in the petrochemical industry for many years. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas. Erich has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a law degree from the University of Houston.
Diane Slaikeu
Diane W. Slaikeu, J.D., an attorney, mediator and educator, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.S.), and the University of Texas School of Law (J.D.). Her professional experience includes legal work in the Texas and South Carolina state legislatures, and partnership in a civil litigation law firm, followed by independent practice devoted exclusively to negotiation and mediation, which led to the development of the Two-Track model that is featured on this web site.
Diane has extensive experience as a trainer in communication and mediation skills for managers and in-house dispute resolution specialists. A member of the State Bar of Texas and the South Carolina Bar Association, she has served as adjunct faculty at Abilene Christian University, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Pepperdine University School of Law.
Ralph Culler
Ralph Culler holds an M.A. in Psychology from Loyola College, a Ph.D. in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin, and an M.S. in Computer Science, also from The University of Texas. He is a former associate director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health in Austin, Texas and has more than 35 years of experience in grantmaking, evaluation, and working with non-profits. Since 2003 he has headed a program evaluation consultant practice: Research and Evaluation Services of Texas.
Dr. Culler is a recognized expert in program evaluation. He co-directed the Hogg Foundation’s Evaluation Research Fellowship Program, supervised evaluations done by doctoral students, and taught the Foundation’s graduate evaluation research seminar (as an adjunct professor at The University of Texas). In addition to teaching evaluation at The University of Texas and St. Edward’s University, he has made presentations and conducted workshops on evaluation to groups and organizations both nationally and in Texas. From 1996 to 2002 he served as an officer and board member of the Grantmakers Evaluation Network, an affinity group of the Council on Foundations. He is a member of the American Evaluation Association