Law Commons^™

Is That All There Is? "The Problem" In Court-Oriented Mediation, Leonard L. Riskin, Nancy A. Welsh

Leonard L Riskin

The alternative process of mediation is now well-institutionalized and widely (though not universally) perceived to save time and money and satisfy lawyers and parties. However, the process has failed to meet important aspirations of its early proponents and certain expectations and needs of one-shot players. In particular, court-oriented mediation now reflects the dominance and preferences of lawyers and insurance claims adjusters. These repeat players understand the problem to be addressed in personal injury, employment, contract, medical malpractice and other ordinary civil non-family disputes as a matter of merits assessment and litigation risk analysis. Mediation is structured so that litigation issues …

Managing Inner And Outer Conflict: Selves, Subpersonalities, And Internal Family Systems, Leonard L. Riskin

Leonard L Riskin

This article describes potential benefits of considering certain processes within an individual that take place in connection with external conflict as if they might be negotiations or other processes that are routinely used to address external disputes, such as mediation or adjudication. In order to think about internal processes in this way, it is necessary to employ a model of the mind that includes entities capable of engaging in such processes. The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, developed by Richard C. Schwartz, works well for this purpose. The IFS model is grounded on the construct that the mind is composed …

Annual Saltman Lecture: Further Beyond Reason: Emotions, The Core Concerns, And Mindfulness In Negotiation, Leonard L. Riskin

Leonard L Riskin

This article focuses on one particularly common problem: Sometimes people who understand the Core Concerns System, know how to use it, and intend to employ it in a particular negotiation, either fail to do so or fail to do so skillfully; when they review the negotiation, they regret not having used the Core Concerns System, and believe that using it would have produced a better process and outcome. When this occurs, it often results from deficits or faults in the negotiator's awareness. It follows that a negotiator can enhance his ability to employ the Core Concerns System through improving his …

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 …

Open-Minded Listening, Jonathan R. Cohen

Jonathan R. Cohen

Parties in conflict do not typically listen to one another well. On a physical level they hear what their counterparts say, but on a deeper level they do not truly absorb or think seriously about their counterparts’ words. If they listen at all, they listen with an ear toward how they can refute rather than toward what they may learn. This article explores how we might change this. In contrast to prior research examining external aspects of listening (e.g., how being listened to influences the speaker), this article probes the internal side of listening, specifically, whether the listener will allow …

Private Conciliation Of Discrimination Disputes: Confidentiality, Informalism And Power, Katherine L. Lynch Ms.

Katherine L. Lynch Ms.

This paper examines the use of private conciliation to resolve discrimination disputes in Hong Kong under the auspices of the Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The unique nature of discrimination disputes are analyzed, along with various policy issues arising out of the use of a private informal process of conciliation by the EOC to enforce and ensure compliance with public anti-discrimination legislation. A range of public policy issues are discussed with proposals made for potential reform of the EOC conciliation model for dispute resolution.

The Contribution Of The International Tribunal For The Law Of The Sea To The Development Of The Current International Law Of The Sea, With Special Reference To The Polar Regions, Gabriela A. Oanta Associate Professor Of Public International Law

Gabriela A. Oanta Associate professor of public international law

This article analyzes the contribution of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to the development of the international law of the sea. On the hand, the mechanism of dispute settlement provided by UNCLOS and other international agreements adopted in the last thirty years approximately over the oceans and seas will be studied. And on the other hand, this article presents an analysis of the past, present and future activity of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea with regard to the two polar regions, the Arctic and the Antarctica. Antarctica lato sensu has received …

Designing A Court-Annexed Mediation Program For Civil Cases In Brazil: Challenges And Opportunities, Fernando V. Luiz

Fernando V Luiz

In this article, I demonstrate that mediation is an important form of dispute resolution, displaying benefits when compared with adjudication. I try to refine what mediation is by contrasting it with judicial settlement conferences and conciliation. Regarding the ongoing process in Brazil, I state that every society should adapt a mediation program that is attainable for its social-economic and cultural reality. Criticizing the current Brazilian policies, I present the positive and negative aspects of the Resolution n. 125 of the National Council of Justice (CNJ), analyzing a possible program design feasible for the country, focusing on the issues of funding, …

The Cost Of Doing Business In Asia: A Comparative Legal Study Of Environmental Regulations In The Emerging Markets Of Thailand, Malaysia, And Indonesia, Brooke R. Padgett

Brooke R. Padgett

Abstract: This article explores whether voluntary standards, customary law, or more binding bilateral investment treaties are best for corporations, the emerging markets of Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and the environment itself. While corporations, markets, and the environment facially seem to have divergent priorities, environmental disasters are more costly after the fact than they are to prevent so in reality their priorities may not be so different after all. Some of the potential issues the paper will examine and address are big picture macro level such as fairness to future generations, intergenerational rights; the actual cost through questions of polluter pays, …

Cash Of The Titans: Arbitrating Challenges To Executive Compensation, Kenneth Davis

Kenneth R. Davis

Excessive executive compensation is endemic to U.S. corporations, and the trend is spiraling out of control. To challenge excessive pay packages, shareholders sometimes institute derivative suits. This approach has had limited success, however, because several principles of law – most notably the business judgment rule – shield directors from liability for awarding exorbitant pay to high-level managers. The business judgment rule removes the unreasonableness of compensation packages from the reach of judicial review. This Article proposes that corporations duly approve procedures to arbitrate shareholder challenges to excessive compensation agreements. Arbitration is uniquely suited for this purpose. Arbitrators are not bound …

The Court Of Arbitration For Sport And Its Global Jurisprudence: International Legal Pluralism In A World Without National Boundaries, Matthew J. Mitten

Matt Mitten

This article considers an issue of global importance that has received little scholarly attention: whether the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), whose developing body of lex sportiva is a form of international legal pluralism, provides an appropriate level of procedural fairness and substantive justice to the world’s athletes, who are subject to its jurisdiction as a condition of their participation in Olympic and international sports competition. It provides an overview of the CAS arbitration system and the very limited scope of national judicial review of its arbitration awards decisions. It concludes that the CAS is a procedurally fair private …

An Impossible Reconciliation? Understanding Class-Action Waivers And Arbitration After American Express V. Italian Colors, Kristine A. Bergman

Kristine A Bergman

No abstract provided.

"What Did You Say?": Semantic Polysemy In California Juvenile Dependency Dispute Resolution, Kelly X. Ranasinghe

Kelly X Ranasinghe

Non-adversarial resolution of dependency cases is a statutorily mandated practice in California. Practitioners in California Juvenile Dependency courts attempt to settle cases without litigation, relying instead on negotiation between the various parties using informal discourse. This discourse utilizes polysemous dependency terms affecting the contextual understanding of statements by creating underlying ambiguity. The ambiguity of these terms creates communicative interference by engendering misunderstanding, lack of specificity and other communication problems. By recognizing polysemous qualities of core terms used in dependency discourse, practitioners can communicate more effectively and efficiently when resolving cases.

The Evolution Of The Digital Millennium Copyright Act; Changing Interpretations Of The Dmca And Future Implications For Copyright Holders, Hillary A. Henderson

Hillary A Henderson

Copyright law rewards an artificial monopoly to individual authors for their creations. This reward is based on the belief that, by granting authors the exclusive right to reproduce their works, they receive an incentive and means to create, which in turn advances the welfare of the general public by “promoting the progress of science and useful arts.” Copyright protection subsists . . . in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or …

Enforcement In A Regime Complex, Sergio Puig

Sergio Puig

Today’s international business environment is fundamentally different than that of fifty years ago. Traditional trade meant selling into one nation goods that were made in another; now trade is mostly about making things in multiple countries and selling them everywhere. Yet the two main branches of public international law that address international business—international trade law and international investment law—have their providence and continue to be viewed as two discrete, separate systems. Through case studies, this Article explores how trade and investment are converging, and the resulting difficulties governments and private interests face when international rules are enforced. The tasks of …

In Defense Of Idea Due Process, Mark C. Weber

Mark C. Weber

Due Process hearing rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are under attack. A major professional group and several academic commentators charge that the hearings system advantages middle class parents, that it is expensive, that it is futile, and that it is unmanageable. Some critics would abandon individual rights to a hearing and review in favor of bureaucratic enforcement or administrative mechanisms that do not include the right to an individual hearing before a neutral decision maker. This Article defends the right to a due process hearing. It contends that some criticisms of hearing rights are simply erroneous, and …

"Ancient" Wisdom: When East Meets West, Kenneth Fox, Joel Lee, Stephanie Mitchell, Vasudha Srinivasan

Kenneth H Fox

This article examines Eastern and Western "ancient wisdom" traditions and applies those traditions to cross-cultural negotiation practice.

Beit Din's Gap-Filling Function: Using Beit Din To Protect Your Client, Michael A. Helfand

Michael A Helfand

This article considers how rabbinical courts play an important gap-filling role by providing parties with a forum to adjudicate a subset of religious disputes that could not be resolved in court. Under current constitutional doctrine, civil courts cannot adjudicate disputes that turn on religious doctrine and practice. By contrast, rabbinical courts can resolve such disputes--and the decisions of rabbinical courts can then be enforced by civil courts even as those same civil courts could not resolve the dispute in the first instance. In this way, rabbinical courts--like other religious arbitration tribunals--fill a void created by constitutional law, ensuring that parties …

Bargaining In The Shadow Of The Best-Interests Standard: The Close Connection Between Substance And Process In Resolving Divorce-Related Parenting Disputes, Jana B. Singer

Jana B. Singer

This essay, written for a Symposium celebrating the child custody scholarship of Professor Robert Mnookin, examines the close connection between changes in substantive child custody doctrine and changes in custody dispute resolution processes over the past 30 years. Part I of the article explores how the widespread adoption of an unmediated “best interest of the child” standard, and the ensuing rejection of the sole custody paradigm, precipitated a shift from adversarial to non-adversarial resolution of divorce-related parenting disputes. Part II of the essay reverses the direction of the analytic lens and considers how the shift from adversarial to non-adversarial dispute …

Whither Affirmative Action: A Look At Recent Court Decisions, Tanya M. Marcum J.D.

Tanya M. Marcum J.D.

The concept of “affirmative action” has held a place in the legal system for well over a thousand years. However, the term “affirmative action” has recently been used and applied in varying ways, causing confusion and outright hostility throughout our nation. The concept of “affirmative action” the term “affirmative action” and the practice of “affirmative action” are still with us giving rise to continuing legal attention and political focus. This article will explore the history of and uses of affirmative action, examine the recent cases before the courts, and finally, make predictions as to the future of affirmative action and …

Bargaining In The Dark: The Normative Incoherence Of Lawyer Dispute Bargaining Role, Robert J. Condlin

Robert J. Condlin

No abstract provided.

Expungement Of Customer Complaint Crd Information Following Settlement Of A Finra Arbitration, Seth E. Lipner

seth e lipner

The Financial Industry Regulatory Association (“FINRA”) maintains a database of customer complaints about individuals licensed by FIRNA as registered representatives. The data can be accessed and used by both securities regulators and the investing public to find out about past complaints made by customers of the registered representatives. But records of customer complaints can be expunged from the database through an arbitration process created by FINRA. This Article traces the history of that arbitration process, focusing on how it is employed in cases where the investor was paid money to settle a claim. The Article studies FINRA arbitrations in such …

Conflicts As Inner Trials: Transitions For Clients, Ideas For Lawyers, Jonathan R. Cohen

Jonathan R. Cohen

As times of transition, conflicts often produce significant inner trials for parties. This paper categorizes some of the more common inner trials parties in conflict face (e.g., coping with loss, strong emotions, uncertainty, etc.) and suggests that, as liminal times in people’s lives, some conflicts may also hold within them important opportunities for learning, growth and self-definition. This paper also offers some ideas for how lawyers might best assist clients during such transitions.

Fostering Race-Related Dialogue: Lessons From A Small Seminar, Jonathan R. Cohen

Jonathan R. Cohen

People frequently shy away from discussing race. Yet, for many reasons, discussing race is extremely important. Drawing upon my experience of teaching a small seminar that addressed race through the lens of reconciliation, in this essay I offer several suggestions for fostering constructive race-related dialogue. I begin by identifying some factors that can make race-related dialogue difficult. I then suggest five steps that may facilitate constructive dialogue: (1) establish trust and good conversational dynamics before discussing race, (2) prompt the discussion with a reading or other informative stimulus, (3) listen to others with the goal of understanding their thoughts, (4) …

Repsol, Ypf, And Argentina: A Hypothetical Look At The Pending Icsid Arbitration Over Ypf, Stephen Pelliccia

Stephen Pelliccia

In this paper I will discuss the 2012 expropriation of the Repsol subsidiary, YPF S.A., by the Argentine government and the upcoming ICSID arbitration on the legality thereof. Taking in to account basic tenets of international arbitration law, bilateral investment treaties, and ICSID jurisprudence, I will put forward some of the principal arguments of both parties could make and discuss a likely decision by the ICSID Tribunal. In addition to the ICSID award I will also discuss the difficulties of enforcing ICSID and other arbitral awards against Argentina and will discuss Latin American attitudes towards ICSID in general. Keeping in …

Much Ado About Nothing?: What The Numbers Tell Us About How State Courts Apply The Unconscionability Doctrine, Susan D. Landrum

Susan Landrum

No abstract provided.

Lessons From Teaching Students To Negotiate Like A Lawyer, John Lande

John Lande

The legal education system is in a major crisis now, in part because law schools do not prepare students adequately to practice law. Law schools should do a better job of teaching negotiation, in particular, because it is a significant part of the work of virtually every practicing lawyer. This includes lawyers who handle civil and criminal matters and lawyers who do litigation as well as those who do transactional work. Negotiation is especially important because most litigated cases are settled and virtually all unstandardized transactions are negotiated. Most law school negotiation courses rely primarily or exclusively on simulations in …

The Arbitration Clause As Super Contract, Richard Frankel

Richard Frankel

It is widely acknowledged that the purpose of the Federal Arbitration Act was to place arbitration clauses on equal footing with other contracts. Nonetheless, federal and state courts have turned arbitration clauses into “super contracts” by creating special interpretive rules for arbitration clauses that do not apply to other contracts. In doing so, they have relied extensively, and incorrectly, on the Supreme Court’s determination that the FAA embodies a federal policy favoring arbitration.

While many scholars have focused attention on the public policy rationales for and against arbitration, few have explored how arbitration clauses should be interpreted. This article fills …

The New Frontier Of Advanced Reproductive Technology: Reevaluating Modern Legal Parenthood, Yehezkel H. Margalit Dr., John D. Loike Dr., Orrie Levy Adv.

Hezi Margalit

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have challenged our deepest conceptions of what it means to be a parent by fragmenting traditional aspects of parenthood. The law has been slow to respond to this challenge, and numerous academic articles have proposed models for adapting parentage laws to ARTs. In the coming years, however, scientific advancements in reproductive technologies, such as somatic cell nuclear transfer and stem cell technologies, will challenge both parentage laws and proposed legal models for traditional ARTs in new and fascinating ways. For instance, these advanced technologies could allow two women to create a child without any male genetic …

Ending Judgment Arbitrage: Jurisdictional Competition And The Enforcement Of Foreign Money Judgments In The United States, Gregory Shill

Gregory Shill

Recent multi-billion-dollar damage awards issued by foreign courts against large American companies have focused attention on the once-obscure, patchwork system of enforcing foreign-country judgments in the United States. That system’s structural problems are even more serious than its critics have charged. However, the leading proposals for reform overlook the positive potential embedded in its design.

In the United States, no treaty or federal law controls the domestication of foreign judgments; the process is instead governed by state law. Although they are often conflated in practice, the procedure consists of two formally and conceptually distinct stages: foreign judgments must first be …