Law Commons^™

Un Treaty On Mediation Signed In Singapore, Nadja Alexander, Shou Yu Chong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Singapore Convention on Mediation is a multilateral treaty which offers a legal framework facilitating the circulation of international mediated settlement agreements (iMSAs) across national borders. The Singapore Convention achieves this by elevating iMSAs to the status of a new type of legal instrument recognised in international law: neither a contract nor a consent arbitral award, iMSAs that fall within the scope of, and that satisfy the conditions within, the Singapore Convention enjoy a unique status. As outlined below, the new Convention establishes a system for the recognition and enforcement of commercial iMSAs. This report is a follow up to …

Singapore Case Note: Enforceability Of Settlement Agreements, Nadja Alexander, Shou Yu Chong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Since the signing of the Singapore Convention on Mediation in August this year, there has been an increased interest on the enforceability of settlement agreements, particularly those arising from mediation. The case of Law Chau Loon v Alphire Group Pte Ltd [2019] SGHC 275 from the Singapore High Court provides us with some general legal principles to consider when a settlement agreement is drafted. Although mediation did not take place between the parties in dispute, the principles stated by the High Court here remain relevant to the drafting of binding mediated settlement agreements (MSAs). This case is essential reading for …

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 …

Mediation And Millennials: A Generational Shift In Dispute System Preferences, Shawna Benston, Brian Farkas

Pace Law Review

Millennials have been the subject of intense media scrutiny for more than a decade. Studies have examined their social, financial, technological, and work habits. However, few studies have examined this generation’s attitudes or proclivities towards civil litigation. Such an examination presents two problems: First, the absence of data on litigants’ age makes an empirical study virtually impossible. Second, generalizations about an entire generation are inherently problematic, glossing over countless cultural, economic, familial, and demographic differences. Nevertheless, this Article argues that millennials’ experiences and educations have primed them, at the margins, to avoid litigation more than prior generations. Instead, this generation …

Enforcement Of International Settlement Agreements Resulting From Mediation Under The Singapore Convention – Private International Law Issues In Perspective, Shou Yu Chong, Felix Steffek

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article introduces the Singapore Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (“the Convention”). It discusses the enforcement of mediated settlement agreements under the Convention against the background of private international law. First, the Convention and its genesis are introduced. Second, the rationale and scope of the Convention are examined. Third, the Convention is placed in the context of private international law. Fourth, the requirements for enforcement of an international mediated settlement agreement (“IMSA”) under the Convention are laid out. Fifth, the grounds for refusal of judicial enforcement of IMSAs are examined. The article ends with a conclusion and …

Ten Trends In International Mediation, Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this essay, the author offers an international overview ofmediation developments in the 21st century and identifiescontemporary influences such as artificial intelligence andthird-party funding. With a focus on mediation ofcross-border disputes, the author identifies ten trends ininternational mediation. These include the changing profileof cross-border disputants and corresponding developmentsin international mediation practice and law. The role ofmediators and lawyers is analysed in the context of theprofessionalisation of the field through credentiallinginitiatives and the new specialisation of mediation advocacy.With the growing internationalisation of mediation, there hasbeen greater appreciation of diverse practice models and thecultural assumptions underpinning them. These developmentsare explored along with …

Supporting Party Autonomy In The Enforcement Of Cross-Border Mediated Settlement Agreements: A Brave New World Or Unchartered Territory?, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The last decade has seen a palpable rise of domestic and international instruments tofacilitate the enforcement of cross-border mediated settlement agreements. The EU MediationDirective required member states to provide for enforcement of such agreements. Common lawjurisdictions including Singapore, Ireland and Ontario have enacted legislation to allowmediated settlement agreements to be recorded as court judgments. Other countries haveprovided for such agreements to be akin to arbitral awards for enforcement purposes. Mostrecently, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has agreedto create multilateral convention and to amend the Model Law on International CommercialConciliation to facilitate cross-border enforcement of commercial disputes …

Mind The Gap: Bringing Technology To The Mediation Table, Alyson Carrel, Noam Ebner

Journal of Dispute Resolution

As technology impacts every aspect of our lives, all professions are exploring how to benefit from use of technology. Mediation is no exception. Since the mid-1990s, the field has explored applying technology to resolve conflict. At an early point this exploration narrowed in on substituting physical convening with wholly-online processes. Conflating “technology” with “online,” however, left an entire practice area unaddressed, a gap we need to mind: application of technology to support traditional, in-person mediation processes. Indeed, today, most mediation processes are largely bereft of technology. This Article suggests that by not minding the gap, traditional mediation forgoes opportunities to …

Arbitration And Mediation In Cross Border Disputes: Possibilities And Limitations, Young Hye Chun

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

No abstract provided.

It’S Time To Pay Up, The Justification For Higher Salaries For Wnba Players: An Analysis Of The Wnba’S Success And Employing Mediation Between The Wnba And Nba To Leverage Future Success, Lerae Ettienne

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This comment looks at the potential positive effects that mediation can have in fostering a better relationship between the two leagues and for the WNBA and its players to get their much-deserved respect and compensation. First, the comment will go in depth regarding the structure of the WNBA, and its history to date. Next, the comment will examine the WNBA’s success despite the discrepancy in pay and the purported lack of viewership. The comment will then expound on the rise of mediation as one of the major ADR tools. Next, the comment will analyze the success of mediation in professional …

Understanding Actual Dr Practice And Communicating Clearly About It, John M. Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post recommends we develop a common language of dispute resolution and increasingly use qualitative research methods.

Helping People Make Hard Decisions – And Making Them Ourselves, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post discusses surgeon Atul Gawande’s wonderful book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, which critiques the way that the medical profession helps elderly patients make decisions. The post notes similarities with lawyers’ interactions with clients to help them make decisions in legal cases. It argues that Dr. Gawande’s prescriptions for medical practice also are relevant to legal practice. Lawyers generally should do a better job of listening to their clients, providing reasonably clear and accurate information about potential risks and benefits, helping them make hard decisions, and respecting their autonomy.

Arbitration In Internal Dispute Resolution Programs: The Scarlet Letter “A” In Sexual Harassment Claims, Sarah Sachs

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This Comment evaluates the use of arbitration and mediation as effective alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for resolving workplace sexual harassment claims. Part II discusses the legal development of sexual harassment claims in the workplace. Part III evaluates companies who use internal dispute resolution programs with mediation and arbitration to resolve workplace harassment claims. Finally, Part IV analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of companies designing and implementing internal dispute resolution programs to adjudicate workplace sexual harassment claims.

The Singapore Convention On Mediation: A Framework For The Cross-Border Recognition And Enforcement Of Mediated Settlements, Timothy Schnabel

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article attempts to provide a definitive overview of the text, structure, history, and purpose of the Singapore Convention on Mediation (also known as the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation), a new multilateral treaty developed by the U.N. Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The Convention, scheduled to open for signature in August 2019, provides a uniform, efficient framework for the recognition and enforcement of mediated settlement agreements that resolve international, commercial disputes — akin to the framework that the 1958 New York Convention provides for arbitral awards. Unlike the other primary international organizations that …

Planning For Good Quality Decision-Making In Mediation Using Two-Stage Mediation, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post describes risks of unplanned one-session mediations, planning for two-stage mediation, and benefits and risks of two-stage mediation.

Michael Buenger’S Great Keynote Address At The Aba Court Adr Conference, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post discusses the keynote address at the ABA Court ADR Conference, delivered by Michael Buenger, the executive vice-president and chief operating officer of the National Center for State Courts. His talk, Rethinking the Delivery of Justice in a Self-Service Society, focused on the changes needed to deal with social and technological changes in the present and future. He described the reality that the courts and “alternative” dispute resolution are becoming increasingly integrated, and he argued that we need to plan better so that this combined system can better serve the public.

Impressive Report On Worldwide Dispute System Needs And Design, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post highlights a report of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, Understanding Justice Needs: The Elephant in the Courtroom. It shows how legal service providers and courts could embrace user-centered innovation and delivery of fair solutions.

Singapore Convention Presents An Opportunity For Georgia In Mediation, Peter B. Rutledge, Katherine M. Larsen

Popular Media

On Dec. 20, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Singapore Convention. The Singapore Convention ensures that a mediation settlement reached by parties will be binding and enforceable in accordance with a streamlined procedure. The convention will compel contracting states to recognize international mediation settlement agreements in commercial disputes. On Aug. 7, the opening day of the convention, a record 46 nations signed the Singapore Convention on Mediation, including the United States.

The Singapore Convention presents a unique opportunity for Georgia to become a forum for hospitable mediation. Much like it adopted an international arbitration code, the state could …

Med-Arb And Professional Sports: Could Med-Arb Work As An Effective Dispute Resolution Process In Professional Sports?, Taylor Brisco

Marquette Sports Law Review

None

Evaluating The Singapore Convention Through A U.S.-Centric Litigation Lens: Lessons Learned From Nearly Two Decades Of Mediation Disuputes In American Federal And State Courts, James Coben

Faculty Scholarship

This article compares a recent five-year dataset (2013-2017) on mediation litigation trends with an earlier dataset (1999-2003) to make some general observations about mediation litigation trends over the last nineteen years, with a specific focus on enforcement of mediated settlements, the topic addressed by the Singapore Convention.

Part II of this article provides a general overview of U.S. mediation litigation trends, including a detailed description of how the databases were created and caveats about their use, a summary of raw numbers, and a review of the common mediation issues litigated in U.S. Courts. Principal conclusions include the fact that litigation …

Prevailing Parties In Mediation, Caleb Gerbitz

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Singapore Convention Reference Book, Harold Abramson

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

The New Singapore Mediation Convention: The Process And Key Choices, Harold Abramson

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

The Changed Batna, Elayne E. Greenberg

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

This column invites readers to consider whether the adjudicated outcome should be relied on as a realistic benchmark for advocates and mediators. In everyday dispute resolution practice, advocates and mediators regularly consider an adjudicated decision to be a realistic point of comparison to a negotiated or mediated outcome. For example, when assessing the merits of settlement, lawyers preparing for a legal negotiation and mediation frequently consider the likely adjudicated outcome as their best alternative to a negotiated agreement (hereinafter BATNA). In mediation, mediators often focus parties and their lawyers on the cost, time and likelihood of a favorable adjudicated …

Online Dispute Resolution, Ronald A. Brand

Articles

This chapter was prepared from a presentation given by the author at the 2019 Summer School in Transnational Commercial Law & Technology, jointly sponsored by the University of Verona School of Law and the Center for International Legal Education (CILE) of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. In the paper, I review online dispute resolution (ODR) by considering the following five questions, which I believe help to develop a better understanding of both the concept and the legal framework surrounding it:

A. What is ODR?

B. Who does ODR?

C. What is the legal framework for ODR?

D. What …

Expanding The Scope Of Dispute Resolution And Access To Justice, Masood Ahmed, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This note considers recent civil justice reforms in England and Singapore in enhancing the role of ADR, in particular mediation, as a means of increasing access to justice. The English and Singaporean civil justice reforms reflect the continual efforts to encourage the greater utilisation of ADR for appropriate cases. The current range of mechanisms may be charted along a “continuum of madatoriness”, ranging from compulsory attendance at mediation orientation sessions; the utilisation of costs sanctions; having an opt-out system; and mandating mediation with no exemptions. However, the English and Singaporean experiences illustrate some of the drawbacks in penalising parties for …

The Singapore Convention On Mediation - A Brighter Future For Asian Dispute Resolution, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

On 26 June 2018, the UnitedNations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) approved, largelywithout modification, the final drafts of the Convention on International SettlementAgreements Resulting from Mediation (the Singapore Convention) and amendmentsto the Model Law on International Commercial Mediation prepared by WorkingGroup II. These instruments aim to promote the enforceability of internationalcommercial settlement agreements reached through mediation in the same way thatthe New York Convention facilitates the recognition and enforcement ofinternational arbitration awards. This paper provides a critical analysis of theSingapore Convention and some commentary from an Asian perspective.

The Singapore Convention On Mediation - A Brighter Future For Asian Dispute Resolution, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

On 26 June 2018, the UnitedNations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) approved, largelywithout modification, the final drafts of the Convention on International SettlementAgreements Resulting from Mediation (the Singapore Convention) and amendmentsto the Model Law on International Commercial Mediation prepared by WorkingGroup II. These instruments aim to promote the enforceability of internationalcommercial settlement agreements reached through mediation in the same way thatthe New York Convention facilitates the recognition and enforcement ofinternational arbitration awards. This paper provides a critical analysis of theSingapore Convention and some commentary from an Asian perspective.