Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

Protecting The Confidentiality Of Communications In Mediation, Owen V. Gray

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This article explores the justifications for protecting mediation communications from disclosure. It reviews the existing legal protections for mediated dispute settlement discussions. The major issues that seem to arise when statutory reform is considered are identified, and a recent study of the issue by the Manitoba Law Reform Commission is described and critiqued. The author argues that a distinction should be made between circumstances in which a party is required or permitted to testify about what took place in mediation, and circumstances in which the mediator may be required to do so. He suggests that mere extension to mediation of …

Unwilling Actors: Why Voluntary Mediation Works, Why Mandatory Mediation Might Not, Gary Smith

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This article examines the debate over the introduction of mandatory mediation in civil litigation. It analyzes why and how voluntary mediation works in order to measure how the process might change under the new regime being implemented in Ontario. The underlying narrative structures of mediation are exposed using semiotic theories commonly employed in the study of theatre. This article will show that mediation, when imposed on unwilling parties, will hinder its efficacy and compromise its theatrical processes. The author concludes that the best way to ensure that making mediation mandatory does not discredit the efficacy and benefits of the process …

Defending The Weak And Fighting Unfairness: Can Mediators Respond To The Challenge?, Michael Coyle

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

As mediation gains in popularity as a tool for resolving civil disputes, and particularly as a substitute for court decisions, some have questioned mediation's ability to assure fairness of process and outcome. Others have argued that the main strength of mediation lies in the power it gives the parties to invent their own approach to resolving their dispute, leaving little room for mediators to impose their own notions of fairness on the process. This article examines the extent to which mediators have an obligation to address issues of fairness in the processes they manage. Through a functional and context-based analysis …

Confidentiality In Mediation, Jaime Alison Lee, Carl Giesler

All Faculty Scholarship

As mediation has become a more widely practiced method of dispute resolution, many jurisdictions have enacted rules forbidding participants to divulge information discussed during the mediation. Two recent cases, Paranzino v. Barnett Bank and Bernard v. Galen Group, are among the first to deal with the enforcement of such rules by judicial sanction. In both cases, participants in judicially required mediations were severely sanctioned for breaching confidentiality in violation of mediation rules and/or court orders.

Mediation In Kentucky: Where Do We Go From Here?, Vanessa Mitchell

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Civil Justice Reform Symposium: Introduction, James F. Hogg

Faculty Scholarship

Many people in the United States are not happy about the way in which litigation proceeds. In a country sometimes thought to be overpopulated with lawyers, either one party or both parties in a significant percentage of civil cases apparently cannot afford, or decline to retain, legal counsel. Financing for legal aid seems to be less than adequate, pro bono services are helping to some extent, but the administration of civil justice is in danger of sinking in the swamp of pro se ("do-it-yourself') litigation. The articles in this symposium discuss ideas for reform, such as introductory resources directed at …

Choppy Waters, Richard C. Reuben, Nancy H. Rogers

Faculty Publications

The movement toward a uniform standard for confidentiality in mediation among the states is one that from the outset casts off into choppy waters, marked by pitching cross-currents of remarkable force.

A "Party Satisfaction" Perspective On A Comprehensive Mediation Statute, Chris Guthrie, James Levine

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

During the past fifteen years, the alternative dispute resolution movement has greatly altered the legal landscape. Courts, legislatures and administrative agencies have enacted more than 2000 laws dealing with mediation and other dispute resolution processes. The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution have recently formed a unique partnership to assess whether a model or uniform mediation statute might remedy some of the problems caused by the current patchwork of often confusing and conflicting mediation laws. The task of drafting a comprehensive mediation statute poses many challenges. The drafters …

Informed Consent In Mediation: A Guiding Principle For Truly Educated Decisionmaking , Jacqueline Nolan-Haley

Faculty Scholarship

Informed consent has a central role to play in mediation. Without it, mediation's promises of autonomy and self-determination are empty. This Article has given the theoretical and policy justifications for a reform of mediation practice that honors the principle of informed consent. I have argued for a contextualized approach that takes into account mediation's location, the voluntariness of the parties' consent, and their representational status. This kind of analysis will lead to a more informed practice of mediation decisionmaking than exists currently and provide a perspective that can more prudently guide a mediator's conduct. The proposed approach promotes greater fairness …

A "Party Satisfaction" Perspective On A Comprehensive Mediation Statute, James Levin, Chris Guthrie

Faculty Publications

Mediation Statute, 13 Ohio St. J. on Disp. Resol. 885 (1998)

During the past fifteen years, the alternative dispute resolution movement has greatly altered the legal landscape. Courts, legislatures and administrative agencies have enacted more than 2000 laws dealing with mediation and other dispute resolution processes. The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution have recently formed a unique partnership to assess whether a model or uniform mediation statute might remedy some of the problems caused by the current patchwork of often confusing and conflicting mediation laws. The task …

Qualification Requirements Of Mediators, Norma Jeanne Hill

Journal of Dispute Resolution

As the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution spreads, the question of who is qualified to provide mediation services becomes ever more important. In determining which selection methods to use in choosing qualified mediators for a particular court or program, attention should be paid to the effectiveness of each specific method, the cost to use it, and whether the method unduly discriminates against individuals of different cultural groups or with varying mediation styles. Just like any other selection procedure in the world of employment, a mediator qualification requirement ought to be analyzed in terms of effectiveness, cost, and discriminatory effects before …

Time To Try Mediation Of International Commercial Disputes, Harold Abramson

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.