Robert A. Baruch Bush

For over a decade I had the pleasure of being Baruch's colleague on Hofstra's law faculty. Baruch was immensely thoughtful and saw others as people. He always asked about my family. As he valued his own family, he also did those of others.
I distinctly remember him questioning me during my job talk. He took the presentation seriously and asked probing and supportive questions. I knew it would be a treat to have a colleague like him. And that turned out to be true.
Baruch was an intellectual powerhouse. Yet, his drive to write and lecture about mediation and especially transformative mediation was about making the world a better place, about more than just ending a dispute but turning the resolution into positive change, about leaving the world a better place.
Baruch left Hofstra, and the world, a better place. And in doing so, he left a memory that will always stay with me.
My family and I are deeply saddened for Baruch's family. Their loss is immense though Baruch will continue to leave with each and every one of them and is does with all of us. May that be a comfort in the weeks and months ahead.

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Baruch Bush a visionary scholar, teacher, and pioneer in the field of mediation. His work transformed the way we understand conflict — not as a problem to be solved, but as a human experience with the potential for empowerment and recognition. Through his groundbreaking contributions to transformative mediation, he challenged practitioners to see the deeper possibilities within dialogue: dignity restored, voices heard, and relationships strengthened. His ideas reshaped classrooms, court systems, and community spaces across the country and around the world. He was known for his intellectual rigor, generosity of spirit, and unwavering belief in the capacity of people to engage one another with respect and humanity. His legacy lives on in the countless mediators, educators, and peacebuilders who carry forward his vision. His influence will continue to guide the field for generations to come. May he find the peace he’s given to so many others.

Tribute to Professor Robert A. Baruch Bush By Dr Chinwe Egbunike-Umegbolu.  
The passing of Robert A. Baruch Bush feels deeply personal both as a scholar and as someone formed, in part, by his ideas.

For many of us in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the award-winning book, The Promise of Mediation: The Transformative Approach to Conflict, presented a fundamentally different vision from the dominant, settlement-driven paradigms of mediation.

At a time when legal education often prioritises outcomes, efficiency, and closure, this book / his work invited us to slow down to see conflict not simply as a problem to be solved, but as a human interaction to be understood. Its central insight that mediation should be grounded in empowerment and recognition reshaped how many of us viewed justice itself. It challenged the assumption that resolution must be measured by agreement alone, and instead advanced the idea that transformation subtle, relational, deeply human may be the more meaningful outcome.
I was drawn to his work as an LLM student in Dispute Resolution at Kingston University London where I returned to his ideas repeatedly in my family mediation assessments.

There was something profoundly compelling about a model of dispute resolution that does not impose solutions, but intentionally creates a safe space: a space for voice, a space for dignity,a space for change.
At the time, many of us particularly those trained within adversarial legal frameworks were captivated by the possibility that disputes could be addressed without confrontation, without the rigid architecture of the courtroom.

We did not simply study the book; we were shaped by it. It gave us hope that peacemaking is not separate from justice, but a core part of it.

Yet these encounters were never merely academic. His work demanded reflection. It invited questioning. It unsettled assumptions. It became something I carried with me into my PhD at the University of Brighton, and into my subsequent scholarship and teaching.

I remain especially grateful to Pamela, my family mediation lecturer at Kingston University London, who introduced me to both family mediation and this remarkable sacred textbook. God bless her. That introduction was not simply academic; it was formative. What distinguishes Professor Bush’s contribution is not only its theoretical precision, but its humanity.

He reminded us quietly but powerfully that mediation is, at its core, is about people. About how individuals understand themselves, about how they perceive one another, and about the possibility that, even in conflict, there can be recognition, growth, and transformation. This perspective has remained with me not only as a researcher, but as an educator. Each time I introduce his ideas to students, it feels less like teaching doctrine and more like opening a door into a different way of seeing conflict: one that privileges dignity over dominance, understanding over expediency, and transformation over mere settlement.

Today, the transformative model Prof Bush championed has extended far beyond its original conceptual boundaries.
It is now applied across diverse contexts family disputes, workplace conflicts, community tensions, organisational challenges, and even public policy dialogues. Yet its essence remains unchanged: a steadfast commitment to the moral and relational dimensions of human interaction. And so, his legacy continues/endures not only in books or citations, but in practice.
In the mediator who chooses to listen more deeply, in the parties who begin, even tentatively, to see each other differently, in the quiet, often unseen moments where conflict shifts from destructive to constructive.
There is something profoundly enduring about such a legacy. Professor Bush may no longer be with us, but his voice continues to resonate in classrooms, in scholarship, and in the lived experiences of those who practise and believe in transformative mediation. For that, I remain deeply grateful. I only wish I had the opportunity to meet him to host him on my podcast, Expert Views on ADR (EVA) Vid/Podcast Show, and to engage him in conversation about the very ideas that shaped my academic journey.

Yet, in many ways, that conversation continues through his books, his articles, and his recorded insights (that can be found on YouTube and mediate.com (http://mediate.com)), which remain evergreen in both memory and influence.

Professor Bush was more than a scholar; he was a pioneer, a thought leader, and a humanist. To write ‘The Promise of Mediation’ with such clarity, accessibility, and depth was itself an act of service to humanity.

He did not merely contribute to the field of ADR, he transformed it entirely! A true game changer. A guiding light. A champion of dignity in conflict. Professor Bush, you came, you saw, and you transformed. Rest in perfect peace.

Sending love, light, peace, hope and faith,
C x

Professor Bush is a beloved educator that cared for his students both in and beyond the classroom, and we all knew it. I had the honor of taking both Torts and Mediation courses with him. For Torts, he encouraged us to start getting prepared for our professional lives and welcomed us to use his class to start dressing the part of a lawyer. I was so grateful for that small thoughtfulness because it really did spark within me this mindset that I was already a lawyer, already capable of great things. I did not come from a family of lawyers, so my professors were the examples I had and Professor Bush was among the best of them. Perhaps to others it seemed a silly and unnecessary gesture, but each time I walked into his classroom dressed to impress, I stood a little taller, had a bit more confidence and was eager to learn more meaningfully. Much of my success in school is thanks to that foundation.

When the first year of law school was over and we were finally able to choose which courses we wanted to take, it was a no-brainer to make sure I was signed up to take Mediation with the leading mind in the field. Professor Bush did not disappoint. The day after hearing of his passing, I randomly stumbled on a pile of old law school papers. It turned out to be all of my notes from his courses. It was such a bittersweet discovery. Here are some of the gems from his lessons I wrote down and still cherish to this day:

“If you are going to tell your brother “‘I’m sorry,’ that never means you're really sorry. The recognition [of your remorse] has to be genuine.”

“Just because two kids are fighting over an orange does not mean they are at odds. The best resolution might not be that one should get the whole orange and “win” while the other gets nothing and “loses.” It might not even be that the orange should be cut in half so that the outcome is “fair.” What if we did something radical and actually ask the kids why they want it? You may find that one only wants the peel and the other wants the meat. We discover that there is a way they both can actually get what they want. That’s a win-win. Let’s aim to be lawyers that have more win-wins.”

“Change the game to problem-solving. Do not play the adversarial game but instead team up and become problem-solvers together.”

(AND MY FAVORITE)
“When in doubt, remember KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.”

I can still hear Professor Bush’s voice. I still remember all of the times he cheered me on post-graduation on LinkedIn and, if I visited the school, he would see me in the halls and remember exactly who I was and what was going on in my professional life. He’d cheerfully ask how doors opened for me or how successes in my life came about and I’d say to him, “God did it!” He was Jewish and I was Christian, so he’d laugh and say, “I’ll take it!”

Most days we laughed like that and I cherish those moments fondly, but even on the one day he saw me crying, it meant so much to me. He emailed to ask if I was alright. He worried that maybe he said something in his class to cause my upset and welcomed me to tell him without worrying of his being offended, as he wanted to ensure no students in future were triggered or harmed by something he taught. The tears of sorrow had nothing to do with him whatsoever, but his care and kindness generated tears of joy. It was truly a joy and privilege to have a teacher like him. It has been a blessing to have someone like him in my corner, and I am pleased and unsurprised to find so many feel the same way.

I will share one final moment from my class notes to end this reflection:

One day, Professor Bush taught us about Restorative Justice, which is a collaborative approach to conflict and crime that prioritizes repairing harm over punitive punishment or, as Professor Bush paraphrased it, an approach that emphasizes the Judeo-Chrisitan notion to “hate the sin, not the sinner.” As was his custom, Professor Bush would give us examples to discuss together as a class and then he wanted us to consider and grapple with scenarios on our own. In my notes, I wrote down a variation of what he’d say out loud before he asked us to tackle work independently: “Bush will let us fly on our own here ☹️”

I ended that sentence with a sad smiley face in my notes, but, as I write this and realize that sentiment rings truer now more than ever, I know I say it with a brave and happy smile. Professor Bush set the tone for what life is going to look like now that he has taught us the lessons, checked for our understanding, encouraged our growth and instilled and honed in us all the tools we need to be steadfast practitioners of the law, thoughtful citizens and wonderful human beings. He's stepping back now and letting us fly on our own.

I met Baruch Bush working on mediation in Italy, by way of his long term friend and colleague Joe Folger. I was honored to translate in Italian their groundbreaking Promise of Mediation. Knowing him has been profoundly enriching at a professional and human level.
I have fond memories of an international seminar in Rome when we explored the potential of transformative mediation in the international context. On the last day I was able to arrange a dinner in a kosher restaurant and we had a wonderful evening with a Roman Jewish meal !
WE will be missing his profound scholarship, wisdom and warm humanity.
My heartfelt condolences to family and friends.

I was privileged to learn about the transformative mediation method directly from Professor Bush during my tenure as a Visiting Professor at Hofstra Law School. I was asked to teach an ADR course that he usually taught during the 2024-25 semester. I reached out to him for his materials and guidance. We discussed my intent to create it as an experiential course rather than following his curriculum as a theoretical seminar. Professor Bush was enthusiastic about my course and spent time with me making suggestions on how best to engage the students. He shared his videos with me that showcased the transformative method he had created. I appreciated his willingness to meet with me and help me in designing my course. It worked out so well and I was hoping to teach it again. On a personal note, Professor Bush also provided me with some spiritual advice on the loss of my sister in 2024. He was a special person to all he met and I am grateful for having known him.

I was fortunate to know Baruch Bush for 19 years during our time together at Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University when I was Assistant Dean for Information Technology from 1993-2012. He was brilliant, funny, caring and beloved by his students, fellow faculty and staff.

He once gave a presentation for me for our faculty use of technology series, where he presented on using document cameras. He also told faculty in attendance that technology will sometimes fail on you but don't be afraid to use it because it benefits your teaching.

When I applied for a similar position at the now University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, I asked Baruch if I could take a snippet of the recording of his presentation, where he noted the above and use that for a presentation I was giving to the faculty at USC Rice School of Law. Baruch was kind enough to say yes to that and I think his video resonated with our faculty and I will say that to this very day. Can never thank him enough for that.

My wife, Michelle also knew Baruch when she was a student aide in the Hofstra Law School Registrar's Office. She remembers him fondly as well and she too is saddened by his passing.

On behalf of my wife and me, our sincerest condolences to the Bush family on his passing. Our thoughts are with you all today. He was a fantastic man and will be sorely missed.