Dean Richard M. Calkins attended Dartmouth College and Northwestern University Law School, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 and his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1954. In the latter institution, he was on the Law Review Board and graduated Order of the Coif.

From 1959-1961 he was law clerk to Judge Elmer J. Schnackenberg, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. In 1961, he joined the Chicago law firm of Chadwell, Keck, Kayser, Ruggles and McLaren, where he became a partner. In 1969 he was a founding partner of Burditt and Calkins in Chicago.

In 1980, Dean Calkins was appointed dean of the Drake University Law School where he served until 1988. Since then he has been an adjunct professor while practicing as a partner in the Zarley, McKee, Thomte, Voorhees & Sease law firm (1988-1993).

In 1993, he established his own law firm practicing primarily antitrust law. In 1995 he went into the full-time practice of mediation and arbitration. Since 1996 he has trained both law students and lawyers in mediation.

He has published three books: Antitrust Guidelines For The Business Executive, Dow Jones-Irwin 1981; Mediation: A Quest For Peace, Illinois State Bar Association 2005, and Mediation Practice Guide, Aspen Publishers and numerous law review articles.

Dean Calkins has been president of the American Academy of ADR Attorneys, the American Mock Trial Association, International Academy of Dispute Resolution, and the Blackstone Inn of Court.