Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

The Unfulfilled Promise Of Self-Determination In Court-Connected Mediation, Peter Reilly

Faculty Scholarship

In the context of mediation, party self-determination refers to the ability of disputants to have power, control, and autonomy in the process. There are numerous process design questions involved in running a mediation, no matter its subject matter. Consider just one example: “Should the mediation be conducted in-person, or virtually?” The answer to this question can have a profound impact on the direction and course of a mediation, including its outcome. Yet, in the context of court-connected mediation, disputing parties are not consistently provided the opportunity to give input on how such process design questions are resolved. In fact, these …

Using Court-Connected Adr To Increase Court Efficiency, Address Party Needs, And Deliver Justice In Massachusetts, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Susan Jeghelian, Kaila Eisenkraft

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

This report presents research and findings from a study of court-connected ADR commissioned by the Executive Office of the Trial Court (EOTC). The study was conducted by the state office of dispute resolution also known as the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The office has been serving as a neutral forum and state-level resource for almost 30 years. Its mission is to establish programs and build capacity within public entities for enhanced conflict resolution and intergovernmental and cross-sector collaboration in order to save costs for the state and its citizens and enable effective problem-solving …

Honoring Professor Bruce Kogan (05-07-2018), Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Newsroom: Court As Classroom 03-01-2018, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Adr And Access To Justice: Current Perspectives, Rory Van Loo, Ellen E. Deason, Michael Z. Green, Donna Shestowsky, Ellen Waldman

Faculty Scholarship

Access to justice is a broad topic, and we cannot cover everything. You will notice a few major omissions. Most notably, we are not going to emphasize consumer pre-dispute arbitration agreements. This is not because they are not important, but because much has been written and said on this topic, and it could easily swallow the whole discussion. Also, we are probably not going to say very much about restorative justice, and I am sure you will notice some other holes. We invite you to raise missing issues in your comments.

Let me start with a few opening remarks. We …

The Multi-Purpose Attorney: The Interpreting Attorney-Mediator, Catherine Gramajo

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The attorney-mediator may be a beneficial hybrid, but what happens when another layer is added to the attorney's functions? Specifically, what happens when the attorney takes on the role of both mediator and interpreter? Part I will provide a brief overview of the increasing role of attorneys as mediators, as well as an overview of the guidelines for mediators and interpreters. Part II examines the importance of language and culture in mediation, particularly focusing on the vital function of the interpreter in the United States. Given the variety of languages spoken in the United States, interpreters are becoming an essential …

Newsroom: Rwu Law Welcomes New Director Of Business Law Programs And The Corporate Counsel Externship Program July 19, 2017, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

New

Mediation, Legal Clinic Program

Course Descriptions and Information

Students will learn and develop skills crucial to the role of mediators and legal professionals. By focusing and implementing mediation methodologies, students will learn skills of active listening and communications; conflict, issue and interests spotting, information gathering and negotiations techniques; problem-solving strategies and approaches; and effective mediation settlement agreement drafting.

The Role Of Language Interpretation In Providing A Quality Mediation Process, Alexandra Carter, Shawn Watts

Faculty Scholarship

This paper focuses on the role of language in mediation and the challenges multiple language fluencies bring to the practice. Beginning with a discussion of the process and ethics of mediation as a form of alternative dispute resolution, as distinct from other forms of dispute resolution including arbitration, the paper shifts to consider the importance of language. Language, and more specifically interpretation, plays a central role in the integrity of the mediation process and the quality of its outcomes. Each stage of mediation requires the participants and the mediator understand one another to ensure effective communication and a quality process. …

The Contemplative Lawyer: On The Potential Contributions Of Mindfulness Meditation To Law Students, Lawyers, And Their Clients, Leonard L. Riskin

Leonard L Riskin

This Article proposes that introducing mindfulness meditation into the legal profession may improve practitioners' well-being and performance and weaken the dominance of adversarial mind-sets. By enabling some lawyers to make more room for - and act from - broader and deeper perspectives, mindfulness can help lawyers provide more appropriate service (especially through better listening and negotiation) and gain more personal satisfaction from their work. Part I of this article describes a number of problems associated with law school and law practice. Part II sets forth a variety of ways in which lawyers, law schools, and professional organizations have tried to …

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mediation In Probate, Trust, And Guardianship Matters , Mary F. Radford

Mary F. Radford

Mediation is the ADR process by which a neutral third party works with disputants to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. Mediation is arguably the oldest and most popular ADR technique in use today. Part I of this essay discusses the commonly accepted advantages of mediation as an alternative to litigation, and, in some instances, questions whether those advantages become disadvantages in the context of probate, trust, and guardianship cases. Part II examines the use of mediation as a component of the actual estate planning process rather than as an alternative to litigation.

The Case For Forgiveness In Legal Disputes, Eileen Barker

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the education and understanding of forgiveness, which assists lawyers and mediators in supporting their clients in the area of forgiveness. It discusses two types of forgiveness relevant to legal disputes including bilateral forgiveness and unilateral forgiveness, and briefs common misconceptions about forgiveness. It analyzes that the essence of forgiveness is the giving up of resentment, anger, and hatred.

No Alternative: Resolving Disputes Japanese Style, Eric Feldman

All Faculty Scholarship

This article critiques the simple black/white categorisation of mainstream versus alternative dispute resolution, and argues that what is needed is a cartography of dispute resolution institutions that maps the full range of approaches and traces their interaction. It sketches the first lines of such a map by describing two examples of conflict resolution in Japan. Neither can justly be called “alternative”, yet neither fits the mould of what might be called mainstream or classical dispute resolution. One, judicial settlement, focuses on process; the other, compensating victims of the Fukushima disaster, engages a specific event. Together, they help to illustrate why …

Commercial Arbitration And Settlement: Empirical Insights Into The Roles Arbitrators Play, Thomas Stipanowich, Zachary Ulrich

Thomas J. Stipanowich

A wide-ranging new Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution Survey of experienced arbitrators, conducted with the cooperation of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, reflects the growing professionalization of commercial arbitration, increasing competition for cases, and many other trends in arbitration practice. It also shows that a grower percentage of arbitrated cases are being settled prior to award or to the start of hearings, and offers a strong rationale for greater emphasis on the role of arbitrators in setting the stage for or facilitating settlement. Early settlement of a dispute can be a uniquely effective way of minimizing cost and cycle time …

Institutionalizing Mediation: The Role Of Lawyers And Bar Associations , Ronald R. Volkmer

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The world of trusts and estates is changing before our eyes - the "multidiscipline practice" trend may radically change the traditional practice of the probate bar. There is one constant, however, besides change and that is conflict. That conflict is oftentimes lurking beneath the surface when a lawyer becomes involved in the estate planning process. All of the technical knowledge you may possess about the legal system and its rules is valuable and necessary. But, the estate planning lawyer is preeminently a counselor at law. In the strongest possible way I urge students to become aware of conflict management skills …

Mediation And Jury Trials As Means Of Resolving Will Contests , Ronald Chester

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

In the vast range of human problems that law seeks to govern, there are certain areas in which legalisms and legal thinking are not particularly useful. It is my belief that one of these areas is that of will contests, in which nonlawyer dispute resolution seems particularly effective.

Mediation Of Probate Matters: Leaving A Valuable Legacy , Lela Porter Love

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Mediation has the power to bring parties to a different level of understanding about their underlying situation and about each other, to re-establish family harmony and to resolve both monetary and relationship issues that probate matters generally involve. To realize these advantages, this paper makes two suggestions. First, attorneys should urge testators to consider dispute resolution provisions in their will. Such provisions allow the testator to weigh in with a directive that the family pull together and attempt to resolve its conflicts creatively. A dispute resolution clause can also provide a vehicle to express and encourage family values connected with …

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mediation In Probate, Trust, And Guardianship Matters , Mary F. Radford

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Mediation is the ADR process by which a neutral third party works with disputants to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. Mediation is arguably the oldest and most popular ADR technique in use today. Part I of this essay discusses the commonly accepted advantages of mediation as an alternative to litigation, and, in some instances, questions whether those advantages become disadvantages in the context of probate, trust, and guardianship cases. Part II examines the use of mediation as a component of the actual estate planning process rather than as an alternative to litigation.

The Greatest Heritage Is The Love Of A Family: The Larson Case And The Mediation Of Probate Disputes, Susan N. Gary

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

In 1981, two brothers, Ben and William Larson, began litigation that would last for four years. By the time the lawsuit ended, the "winning" brother was dead, and the other brother was bitter and estranged from the family of his only sibling. Although one can only speculate, had the brothers chosen mediation, rather than litigation, to resolve their dispute, both brothers might have achieved a better outcome.

The Mediated Settlement: Is It Always Just About The Money? Rarely!, Steven L. Schwartz

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Since our legal system of dispute resolution tends to remedy wrongs only by payment of money, most settlements will eventually involve negotiations over the amount to be paid and received. Yet, in both the theory and actual practice of mediation that has lead this writer to conclude that it is never just about the money. Effective lawyer representation of clients in mediation requires a different kind of investigation and preparation than lawyers may be accustomed to conducting. Similarly, an effective mediator must be adept in identifying the clues that reveal the "below the water line" interests at work and which …

Defining The Ethical Limits Of Acceptable Deception In Mediation, John W. Cooley

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

In a recent law review article I authored for the Loyola University of Chicago Law Review, Mediation Magic: Its Use and Abuse, I addressed the perplexing problem of the current lack of ethical guidance available to mediators and mediation advocates on the question of permissible uses of deception in mediation generally and in caucused mediation, in particular. This article is a sequel to that publication, offering the reader a condensation of some of the ideas contained in that article and some additional thoughts on criteria that might be appropriate to consider when designing a truthfulness standard for mediation.

The Neutral As Lie Detector: You Can't Judge Participants By Their Demeanor, Bruce Fraser

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

As mediators we are often faced with sharply conflicting stories. One of the advantages of mediation is that we sometimes can solve the underlying problem without determining who did what, to whom, and when. Indeed, experience has shown that mediation is not a good process for finding the truth because it has none of the tools (such as testimony under oath) used for this purpose in the judicial system. Still, mediators often spend a good deal of time and effort trying to determine who is telling the truth.

The Truth About Deception In Mediation, Jeffrey Krivis

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Now that the court system has institutionalized the use of mediation in virtually all civil proceedings, trial lawyers are paying closer attention to their negotiation skills. While those skills involve less structured behavior than presenting a case to a jury, they nonetheless involve one common strategy that even the most skilled practitioners refuse to acknowledge: deception.

Getting To The Heart Of The Matter - Taking Risks That Honor Yourself And Your Work, Linda E. Meyer

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

I am here to talk to you about what got you into this profession in the first place. And that was a feeling. A feeling that is very hard to articulate, except maybe to yourself. It was a sense that there was something here for you that was new, that was different, that was amazing, and that you could actually be part of a process where things happened and changed. You could be respected. You could be honored. You could feel that you had actually done something that made a difference. I want to tell you that is why I …

Style Vs. Model: Why Quibble? , Susan Oberman

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article raises some of the questions necessary to address criticisms about quality and ethics of mediation practices: (Part I) Is there a "mandate" to provide informal justice through mediation? (Part II) Why challenge the generic mediation mythology? (Part III) Does naming differences as 'styles' result in greater clarity? (Part IV) Is mediation fulfilling its "mandate" to serve the court? (Part V) What are the obstacles to changing the dominant discourse on mediation? (Part VI) In answering these questions, an alternative framework is proposed to shift the current discourse about generic mediation based on artistry or style, to a discourse …

Negotiating And Mediating Peace In Africa , Nancy Erbe, Chinedu Bob Ezeh, Daniel Karanja, Neba Monifor, George Mubanga, Ndi Richard Tanto

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Last year, a law review solicited my thoughts about, in their words, pushing the envelope with social justice and negotiating peace in a world dominated by power and violence. Taking their language literally, one must ask how to effectively address contemporary obstacles to ensure that the message and, most importantly, the means of justice are truly delivered to those in need. One answer-which may seem obvious to readers but is actually much too rare in practice-is to work with, empower, and support the conflict work of the community members themselves. This article introduces the plans of five African professionals, demonstrating …

Outward Bound To Other Cultures: Seven Guidelines For U.S. Dispute Resolution Trainers, Harold Abramson

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

"Would you like to go to Delhi to train people in negotiations?" the email message inquires. "Are you kidding?" you think to yourself. "Of course, I would get to do in an exotic location what I enjoy doing at home – helping others to resolve conflicts. And I also would meet fascinating people and tour an intriguing city and country with a local host." "YES," you reply after working out the logistical details. Now as you begin to pack your off-the-shelf training materials, you start to wonder how you should adapt your training for this foreign location. You do not …

Why We Still Litigate, Phillip M. Armstrong

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The benefits of Alternative Dispute Resolution ("ADR"), particularly mediation, are well documented and often touted. Some of these benefits are: cost savings, confidentiality, preservation of business relationships, finality, better outcomes, and more control. The list goes on, and rightfully so. The Comell/PERC study and the more recent BTI study, among others, have made it clear that corporate America has embraced ADR, particularly mediation, as a preferred means of resolving many disputes. As a long-time member of an in-house law department, I have watched our own management of commercial litigation and claims evolve from a typical "winner takes all" approach to …

To Certify, Or Not To Certify: A Comparison Of Australia And The U.S. In Achieving National Mediator Certification, Mandy Zhang

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article aims to trace the progress of establishing mediation accreditation in Australia and the United States. Part II briefly describes how each country came to the decision of exploring the necessity of national mediator certification, and also illustrates the proposed designs for the Australian certification program and U.S. certification program recommended by the ACR. Part III suggests possible reasons for why the U.S. has failed to implement the mediator certification program proposed by the ACR while Australia is moving forward to establish their system. Part IV concludes with why the U.S. should continue to push for national mediator accreditation …

Joining Forces In Search For Answers: The Use Of Therapeutic Jurisprudence In The Realm Of Mediation Ethics , Omer Shapira

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The Mediation process is part of the Alternative Dispute Resolution movement (ADR) whose modern history begins at the end of the 1970s. Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ) is a younger movement which has started to gain recognition in the 1990s. The two schools of thought share similarities, a fact which makes their study beneficial for both. This article explores some of those similarities in order to evaluate the possible contribution of TJ to mediation ethics. What is sought is a normative reading of the mediation process with the aid of the therapeutic lens. Such reading suggests, so it is argued, behavioral guidelines …