Law Commons^™

Speaker, “Religion’S Footnote Four: Church Autonomy As Arbitration”, Michael Helfand

Michael A Helfand

No abstract provided.

Opting Out Of The Procedural Morass: A Solution To The Class Arbitration Problem, Emanwel J. Turnbull

Emanwel J Turnbull

American class actions are internationally regarded as a procedural form to avoid and widely criticized in the United States. They have been narrowed and restricted by U.S. statutes and case law. Plaintiffs' lawyers in consumer class actions are portrayed as greedy and fraudulent, while businesses are increasingly acting to avoid class actions through mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clauses. Even class arbitration is criticized as leading to a “procedural morass.” This Article proposes that parties and arbitral fora opt out of the American procedural morass (and the attendant long-running disputes about American class actions) by adopting an English procedural rule for aggregation. …

Speaker, “Religion’S Footnote Four: Church Autonomy As Arbitration”, Michael Helfand

Michael A Helfand

No abstract provided.

Speaker, “Church Autonomy And Religious Arbitration: Two Models Of Legal Pluralism”, Michael Helfand

Michael A Helfand

No abstract provided.

Speaker, “Church Autonomy And Religious Arbitration: Two Models Of Legal Pluralism”, Michael Helfand

Michael A Helfand

No abstract provided.

The End Of An Error: Replacing "Manifest Disregard" With A New Framework For Reviewing Arbitration Awards, Kenneth R. Davis

Kenneth R. Davis

Abstract For over fifty years, the Supreme Court has declined to establish a standard of review for errors of law in arbitration awards. Decided in 1953, Wilko v. Swan confused the courts with a cryptic statement suggesting that a court could not vacate an award for errors “in the interpretations of the law by arbitrators” unless the arbitrator manifestly disregarded the law. Despite this statement’s ambiguity, the federal courts recognized the “manifest disregard” standard, which the courts interpreted to permit vacatur when the arbitrator knew the law and deliberately flouted it. Thirty-four years after Wilko, the Supreme Court in McMahon …

The Impact Of Case And Arbitrator Characteristics On Employment Arbitration Outcomes, Alexander Colvin, Kelly Pike

Alexander Colvin

[Excerpt] A major development in systems for the enforcement of individual employment rights is the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures to resolve claims by employees. At their best, ADR procedures may hold the potential for greater accessibility by employees to enforcement of substantive employment rights, while avoiding burdens of excessive costs for the public and employers in processing claims. On the other hand, ADR procedures, particularly mandatory employment arbitration procedures, have also been criticized for producing the privatization of justice and denial of effective enforcement of employee rights. In this paper, we present the results of a new …

An Empirical Study Of Employment Arbitration: Case Outcomes And Processes, Alexander Colvin

Alexander Colvin

Using data from reports filed by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) pursuant to California Code requirements, this article examines outcomes of employment arbitration. The study analyzes 3,945 arbitration cases, of which 1,213 were decided by an award after a hearing, filed and reaching disposition between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2007. This includes all the employment arbitration cases administered nationally by the AAA during this time period that derived from employer-promulgated arbitration procedures. Key findings include: (1) the employee win rate amongst the cases was 21.4%, which is lower than employee win rates reported in employment litigation trials; (2) …

Doping Control, Mandatory Arbitration, And Process Dangers For Accused Athletes In International Sports , Maureen A. Weston

Maureen A Weston

Athletes in a professional sports league in the United States are members of players unions, which assist their athletes in obtaining representation when they are involved in dispute resolution proceedings associated with disciplinary actions. However, individual athletes who participate in international competitions do not enjoy the same benefits. When these athletes are required to submit to mandatory drug testing, with attendant potential criminal liability, and to mandatory arbitration, they should be provided meaningful access to competent legal representation when their athletic careers are in jeopardy. This article considers the legal framework, process, and recourse for athletes in international competition to …

L'Ambito Di Applicazione Dell'arbitrato Consob, Valerio Sangiovanni

Valerio Sangiovanni

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Bargaining Unit Determination: Labor Law And The Structure Of Collective Representation In A Changing Workplace, Alexander Colvin

Alexander Colvin

[Excerpt] Arguably the leading issue for current labor law research is whether the existing system of law based on the Wagner Act model can continue to be relevant and appropriate for the contemporary workplace. Changes in the environment of work during the over half-century since this model was developed have brought pressures for re-evaluation and adaptation of key elements of its structure. Criticism of this system has focused on a number of areas, including: the reliance on the formal grievance procedure and arbitration; the separation of the realms of collective bargaining and business decision making; the limitations on employee participation …

The Lost Controversy Limitation Of The Federal Arbitration Act, Stephen Friedman

Stephen E Friedman

Despite Congress’s deliberate limitation of the Federal Arbitration Act (the “FAA”) to disputes arising out of a contract containing an arbitration provision, broader arbitration provisions are ubiquitous. Courts invariably enforce such provisions under the FAA. Notably, the Supreme Court has almost entirely disregarded the relevant language of the FAA and has ignored the conflict between the FAA’s narrow language and the broad language typically found in arbitration provisions. In so doing, the Court has quietly and inappropriately elevated the language of private agreements above the language of the statute. In this article, Professor Friedman first identifies the origin of the …

National Roundtable On Consumer And Employment Dispute Resolution: Consumer Arbitration Roundtable Summary Report, Thomas J. Stipanowich, Nancy Walsh, Lisa Blomgren Bingham, Lawrence R. Mills

Thomas J. Stipanowich

This report is a summary of the discussions at the Consumer Arbitration Roundtable held at Pepperdine University on February 2-4, 3012 and co-sponsored by Pepperdine School of Law, The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, and Penn State University, Dickinson School of Law. It was prepared by members of the Planning Committee.

The Alternative Forms Of Dispute Settlement And The Essential Difference Between These And Arbitration, Michael Diathesopoulos

Michael Diathesopoulos

The paper examines the characteristics of some common alternative forms of dispute settlement and their key differences from arbitration regarding their nature and scope. Its purpose is to explore each mechanism's suitability for specific types of disputes.

The End Of Shareholder Litigation? Allowing Shareholders To Customize Enforcement Through Arbitration Provisions In Charters And Bylaws, Paul D. Weitzel

Paul D. Weitzel

Shareholder litigation has been heavily criticized for its inability to compensate harmed shareholders or deter managerial misconduct. While some have suggested abolishing shareholder litigation altogether, this article takes a more moderate approach. I propose allowing shareholders to enforce charter and bylaw provisions that require arbitration of certain disputes. For example, an acquisitive company may require arbitration of merger-related suits, while allowing non-merger suits to proceed in court. Likewise, a company in an industry known for volatile stock prices could require a price drop of three or four standard deviations before the suit could be brought in court, rather than arbitration. …

The End Of Shareholder Litigation? Allowing Shareholders To Customize Enforcement Through Arbitration Provisions In Charters And Bylaws, Paul D. Weitzel

Paul D. Weitzel

Shareholder litigation has been heavily criticized for its inability to compensate harmed shareholders or deter managerial misconduct. While some have suggested abolishing shareholder litigation altogether, this article takes a more moderate approach. I propose allowing shareholders to enforce charter and bylaw provisions that require arbitration of certain disputes. For example, an acquisitive company may require arbitration of merger-related suits, while allowing non-merger suits to proceed in court. Likewise, a company in an industry known for volatile stock prices could require a price drop of three or four standard deviations before the suit could be brought in court, rather than arbitration. …

The More Favorable Regime For Confirming International Arbitral Awards Made In The U.S.: A Choice Within The ‘Overlapping Coverage’ Of Faa Chapters One And Two, Suyash Paliwal

Suyash Paliwal

According to U.S. courts, Chapters One and Two of the Federal Arbitration Act provide “overlapping coverage” over arbitral awards that were made in the U.S. and also fall under the New York Convention. The meaning of “overlapping coverage” under U.S. arbitral law remains unclear, but affects the defeated party’s ability to challenge the conversion of these awards to court judgments and, consequently, the parties’ decision to seat an arbitration in the U.S. According to every Circuit that has addressed the question, when a U.S.-rendered award is domestic, it is subject to summary, challenge-free confirmation under Chapter One if it is …

La Disciplina Dell'arbitrato Consob, Valerio Sangiovanni

Valerio Sangiovanni

No abstract provided.

Purpose, Precedent, And Politics: Why Concepcion Covers Less Than You Think (Video), Michael Helfand

Michael A Helfand

No abstract provided.

The Icsid Under Siege, Leon E. Trakman Professor

Leon E Trakman Dean

Intense debate rages over the transparency and efficiency of investor-state arbitration. In contention is whether national courts should displace investment arbitration administered by the International Center for Investment Arbitration (ICSID). How this debate is resolved will significantly impact on the United States, its public interests and its investors. This manuscript scrutinizes this debate and recommends how to resolve it.

México, Su Constitución Y El Arbitraje Internacional: Un Desarrollo Bicentenario, James A. Graham

James A. Graham

En la Montaña Mágica de Mann, Settembrini defiende el arbitraje como el medio idóneo para resolver las disputas internacionales, enfatizando que hay un ius divinum (hoy diríamos una lex mercatoria) que transciende los derechos positivos y permite resolver las controversias más allá de los diversos derechos nacionales. A lo cual, le responde Naphta, que no es posible dejar a tribunales “bourgeois” decidir sobre lo justo como si fueron dioses, o como hubiera dicho Rigaux, “des dieux et des héros”. Tal antagonismo resume la historia del arbitraje en los dos últimos siglos en México. Considerado al inicio de su independencia, como …

A Review Of The Proposed Amendments To Be Made To S 216a Of The Companies Act, Linus Koh

Linus Koh

No abstract provided.

Walking A Tightrope: The Role Of Equitable Discretion In Quantum Determination In Investment Treaty Law, Silke N. Kumpf

Silke Noa Kumpf

My thesis analyzes the manifestation of equitable arbitrator discretion in quantum determination and its role as a tool to balance treaty-based investor rights with extrinsic but competing international and public law obligations of States. I examine, first, scholarly opinions on the subject, second, arbitral practice through a content analysis of all past awards published by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), which held liable respondent State for expropriation and, third, the results of an online survey I conducted with ICSID arbitrators, the lawyers that plead before them and the scholars that write about the topic in …

Arbitrability And Vulnerability, Carolyn L. Dessin

Carolyn L. Dessin

Arbitration is cool. Everybody‟s doing it. In the eighty-five years since the passage of the Federal Arbitration Act, that seems to be the prevailing sentiment. Recent decades have seen the meteoric rise of arbitration as a form of alternative dispute resolution. Arbitration is widely regarded as a less expensive, more expeditious alternative to litigation.

Courts frequently note that federal policy clearly favors arbitration. No judicial enthusiasm for arbitration seems more complete than that evidenced in the jurisprudence of the United States Supreme Court.

Along with the rise of arbitration, however, there has also been a rise in the amount of …

Consent In Context: Fulfilling The Promise Of International Arbitration (Multiparty, Multi-Contract, And Non-Contract Arbitration), Preface By Jan Paulsson, Karim Youssef

Dr. Karim Y Youssef

No abstract provided.

Judging Lite: How Arbitrators Use And Create Precedent, W. Mark C. Weidemaier

W. Mark C. Weidemaier

Purpose, Precedent, And Politics: Why Concepcion Covers Less Than You Think, Michael A. Helfand

Michael A Helfand

This article sketches some possible limitations on the impact AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion will have going forward. While many have seen the Supreme Court’s decision as simultaneously signaling an end to the viability of class action lawsuits and undermining principles of federalism, there may be reasons to believe that it will not have implications quite so far reaching. Specifically, this article proposes three reasons why Concepcion’s impact may be limited. First, the decision lends itself to a more narrow reading, which simply demands that courts take the entire of an arbitration agreement into account before deploying common law defenses to …