Law Commons^™

Due Process Review Under The Railway Labor Act, Christopher L. Sagers

Michigan Law Review

This Note contends that the RLA prohibits due process review and further argues that such a result is constitutional. Part I examines the statutory language of the RLA itself and contends that it limits district court review to the three statutory grounds. Part II argues that the Supreme Court's opinion in Sheehan reaffirms this interpretation because the Court's language unmistakably conveys an intent to bar due process review. Part III explains that such a limitation does not violate the Constitution. The only constitutional provision that could be implicated in an RLA proceeding, the right of procedural due process, is protected …

Should Mandatory Written Opinions Be Required In All Securities Arbitrations?: The Practical And Legal Implications To The Securities Industry , Lynn Katzler

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Alternative Dispute Resolution In Natural Resource Damage Assessments, Sarah L. Inderbitzin, Nicholas Targ, James L. Byrnes, Bruce A. Johnson

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Summary Jury Trial - A Caution, Avern Cohn

Journal of Dispute Resolution

My experience with summary jury trials as a settlement device, as well as a poll of my colleagues in the Eastern District of Michigan, suggests the drawbacks of summary jury trials outweigh the benefits. Additionally, a decision regarding the worth of summary jury trial as a dispute resolution mechanism, particularly over the objections of a party, should be suspended until the Rand Corporation's Institute for Civil Justice reports to Congress on its evaluation of Civil Justice Reform Act initiatives with regard to alternate dispute resolution procedures in federal district courts.

Is Arbitration Final & (And) Binding - Public Policy Says, Not Necessarily - Exxon Shipping Company V. Exxon Seamen's Union, Todd M. Siegel

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In the realm of employment law, management and labor unions enter in collective bargaining agreements to establish employment terms including wages, hours, benefits and grievance procedures.' A typical grievance procedure provides that labor disputes will be resolved through arbitration. Courts are encouraged to defer to collective bargaining agreements. When disputes arise, employees and employers attempt to resolve matters themselves, and if this fails, labor unions intervene and submit grievances to arbitration. Generally, an arbitrator's decision is final and binding, but in limited circumstances the matter is ultimately litigated. One such limited circumstance arose when the courts developed a public policy …

Summary Jury Trial: A Proposal From The Bench, The, Alexander B. Denson

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Professor Woodley's article is an excellent overview of the issues relating to Summary Jury Trials and offers a menu of sound proposals for their solution. This article is written from the perspective of a trial judge and recommends procedures and case selection criteria found to be effective in the trial arena. A careful reader will note that many of the proposals discussed herein are included in Professor Woodley's article because the undersigned participated in her canvass of judges on the subject.

Federal Arbitration Act And Section 2'S Involving Commerce Requirement: The Final Step Towards Complete Federal Preemption Over State Law And Policy - Allied-Bruce Terminix V. Dobson, The, Isham R. Jones Iii

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In 1609, Lord Coke held agreements to arbitrate revocable at will at any time prior to the issuance of an award.' For three-hundred years following Lord Coke's decision, a similar mindset pervaded the judicial psyche of both England and the United States, requiring legislative action to overcome the dilemma.' Even after the enactment of the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA" or "Act"), passed by Congress to combat judicial hostility to arbitration, courts continued to jealously guard their jurisdiction from non-traditional dispute resolution forums.4 Under Section 2 of the FAA, courts must enforce agreements to arbitrate contained in contracts which evidence a …

We Can Settle This Here Or Downtown: Mediation Or Arrest For Domestic Violence Calls - Eagleston V. Guido, Dale T. Smith

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Mediation policies may serve as a way for victims of equal protection violations to be compensated if a state worker invokes the defense of qualified immunity to avoid liability.' However, if the state worker is a police officer and is "following orders" by acting under a custom or policy devised or enforced by a superior, a party might be able to claim an equal protection violation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and sue the officer's superior.' A police officer's use of qualified immunity came into question in Eagleston v. Guido.' In Eagleston, the use of mediation practices to deal with …

Mandatory Arbitration And Title Vii: Can Employees Ever See Their Rights Vindicated Through Statutory Causes Of Action - Metz V. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & (And) Smith, Penelope Hopper

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Through the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Congress has granted American employees an increased number of potential statutory causes of action. At the same time, litigation has decreased. with a rise in the popularity of alternative dispute resolution.' Thus, it is no surprise that many modem employment contracts require employees to stipulate a dispute resolution forum through which any future legal conflict may be resolved, usually at the bequest of the prospective employer. The legal trend is to enforce mandatory arbitration and mediation clauses when a statutory cause of action is at …

Saving The Summary Jury Trial: A Proposal To Halt The Flow Of Litigation And End The Uncertainties, Ann E. Woodley

Journal of Dispute Resolution

The discussion below is divided into four parts. Part II is a background section describing the summary jury trial process and its intended benefits, as well as briefly identifying the five litigated issues and basic uncertainties discussed here. Part III describes the five litigated issues and basic uncertainties in detail, describes how judges have attempted to deal with them, and discusses potential solutions. Part IV contains specific statutory language embodying the proposed solutions. And, finally, Part V offers a brief conclusion

Recent Developments: The Uniform Arbitration Act, Kimberly Gibbens, Cathleen A. Martin, Peter Sumners, Stephen Witte

Journal of Dispute Resolution

The Uniform Arbitration Act is an annual project of the Journal of Dispute Resolution.2 The project examines court opinions from the past year which have interpreted state versions of the Uniform Arbitration Act ("U.A.A.").' Currently, thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have adopted arbitration statutes based on the U.A.A.' The goal of the Journal of Dispute Resolution in creating this project is to promote uniformity in interpretation of the U.A.A. by describing the decisions and rationales of recent court opinions.

The Federal Arbitration Act And Individual Employment Contracts: A Better Means To An Equally Just End, William F. Kolakowski Iii

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that courts should adopt a narrow reading of the employment contract exception to the FAA, thus making arbitration agreements in most individual employment contracts enforceable under the Act. Part I argues that a textual analysis of the FAA supports a narrow interpretation of the exception. Because some courts and commentators have argued that the text favors a broad interpretation, Part II examines the legislative history of the exception and demonstrates that no firm conclusions can be drawn about congressional intent regarding the exception's scope. Finally, Part III demonstrates that a narrow reading of the exception best serves …

Representation Of Parties In Arbitration By Non-Attorneys, Constantine N. Katsoris

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The issue of the representation of clients in legal or quasi legal proceedings by non-attorneys has been a troubling one. Not only are such services being offered by non-attorneys in the form of transactional services, i.e., advising, drafting deeds and documents, etc., but has spread to actual representation of parties before administrative agencies. Moreover, as more and more disputes are being resolved through alternative dispute mechanisms, such as arbitration, non-attorneys are also representing clients in such proceedings in civil litigation-often involving complex issues and significant sums of money-against other litigants who are usually represented by skilled attorneys. The ABA recently …

Report Of The Securities Industry Conference On Arbitration On Representation Of Parties In Arbitration By Non-Attorneys

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The following is a Report prepared by the Securities Industry Conference on Arbitration ("SICA" or "Conference") concerning non-attorney representation in arbitration. The report is the result of a study, conducted by SICA over the past two years, on the practices and activities of individuals and organizations ("Non-Attorney Representatives" or "NARs") that provide public customers an alternative to representation by attorneys in disputes between customers and broker/dealers. The study was prompted by complaints concerning the quality of such representation; and, raised questions as to whether the activities of NARs constituted the unauthorized practice of law, and whether the interests of investors …

Title Page

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents - Issue 1

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents - Issue 2

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Standards Of Professional Conduct In Alternative Dispute Resolution, John Feerick, Carol Izumi, Kimberlee Kovach, Lela Love

Journal of Dispute Resolution

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Association of American Law Schools presented a program, at a 1995 AALS Conference, on current ethical issues that arise in mediation and how these issues should be addressed by the standards of professional conduct. The panel for the program was composed of leading mediation scholars and practitioners from throughout the country. The program was organized by Professor Edward Sherman who also acted as the panel moderator and provided the following introduction

Exemplary Awards In Securities Arbitration: Short-Circuited Rights To Punitive Damages - Mastrobuono V. Shearson Lehman Hutton, Inc., Isham R. Jones Iii

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Despite some residual image problems, arbitration is far from a modem day phenomenon.2 Aristotle himself was a fan of arbitration, "for the arbitrator keeps equity in view, whereas the judge looks only to the law."3 However, inconsistency among federal courts regarding the award of punitive damages by arbitrators has only furthered the image problem.4 Discord among courts arises when parties sign a contract agreeing to be bound by the law of a state which prohibits arbitral awards of punitive damages along with contract language which seems to express intent to allow punitive damages.5 Under the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA"), federal …

Diversity Issues In Mediation: Controlling Negative Cultural Myths, Isabelle R. Gunning

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This article (by a concerned supporter) explores this criticism of mediation. Part II surveys the critics who argue that mediation's informality and lack of procedure disadvantages members of minority groups and women. Part II then takes the next step that the critics have not taken, explaining how mediation could affect adversely disadvantaged groups. Part III suggests solutions to the problem which involve a greater level of mediator intervention than is generally accepted and defends these solutions.

Mediation Privilege's Transition From Theory To Implementation: Designing A Mediation Privilege Standard To Protect Mediation Participants, The Process And The Public Interest, The, Alan Kirtley

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This article will analyze the developing law of the mediation privilege. To begin with, the attributes and uses of the mediation process and the function of confidentiality in mediation will be examined. The existing legal means to protect mediation confidentiality, short of a privilege, will also be reviewed. Then an analysis of policy considerations underlying evidentiary privileges generally will be followed by an assessment of the theoretical underpinnings for a mediation privilege. Finally, a critique of the various forms taken by new mediation privilege statutes and rules will be undertaken. The State of Washington's mediation privilege statute 2 will serve …

Settlement Agreements And The Collateral Order Doctrine: A Step In The Wrong Direction - Digital Equip. Corp. V. Desktop Direct, Inc., S. Christian Mullgardt

Journal of Dispute Resolution

With the increase in lawsuits each year, the fact that a majority of cases are concluded by settlement is seen by many as "a tribute to both the trial bench and the practicing bar."2 In furtherance of this desirable end, the judiciary has typically upheld and enforced settlement agreements whenever possible Against this backdrop, the Digital court faced the issue of whether an order rescinding a settlement agreement which provided a "right not to stand trial" was immediately appealable pursuant to the collateral order doctrine

Railroading Essential Rights: The Status Of Judicial Review Of Alleged Due Process Violations In Arbitration Hearings Under The Railway Labor Act - Shafii V. P.L.C. British Airways, Penelope Hopper

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In the American judicial system, no litigant may be denied life, liberty or property without due process of the law. The rights to representation, to have a fair hearing, and to have the opportunity to present evidence on one's own behalf are ingrained in our concept of "justice." When one agrees to submit a conflict to an alternative forum of dispute resolution, are those essential rights lost? This Note examines those questions in the context of a congressional act mandating arbitration as the mode of conflict resolution in the transportation industry

Enforcing Arbitration With A Nonsignatory: Equitable Estoppel And Defense Piercing Of The Corporate Veil - Sunkist Soft Drinks, Inc. V. Sunkist Growers, Inc., Scott M. Mckinnis

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Since Congress enacted the Federal Arbitration Act,2 courts have liberally enforced a strong national policy favoring arbitration of commercial disputes In furtherance of this goal, courts have refused to stay arbitration proceedings simply because they may involve parties who are nonsignatories to an arbitration agreement.4 Courts have accomplished this objective through the doctrine of equitable estoppel; Sunkist exemplifies that trend. However, Sunkist also represents a corporate scenario in which the emerging legal theory of "defensive piercing"' could be established as another avenue from which to compel commercial arbitration.

Enforceability Of An Agreement To Submit To A Non-Arbitral Form Of Dispute Resolution: The Rise Of Mediation And Neutral Fact-Finding - Annapolis Professional Firefighters Local 1926 V. City Of Annapolis, The, Tim K. Klintworth

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Agreements between employers and unions frequently specify a form of alternate dispute resolution to be utilized in the event of a future dispute. Annapolis addresses the issue of the enforceability of a written agreement to submit future disputes to some form of non-arbitral resolution such as mediation or neutral-fact finding.

The World Trade Organization: A New Legal Order For World Trade?, Thomas J. Dillon Jr.

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article will describe in some detail the most dramatic modifications within the framework of the multilateral trading system designed to support the projected trade expansion, namely, the new organizational structure under the WTO and the new dispute settlement procedures. The article will evaluate these changes against the backdrop of the Bretton Woods System as originally conceived and will highlight the debate surrounding whether the nature of the trade regulating body ought to be adjudicatory or negotiatory. Finally, the author offers conclusions, perspectives, and comments regarding the future development of the world trading system.

International Commercial Arbitration In China: History, New Developments, And Current Practice, 28 J. Marshall L. Rev. 539 (1995), Ge Liu, Alexander Lourie

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Mediation Of Industrial Commission Cases, Lex K. Larson

Campbell Law Review

This Article describes the North Carolina system of mediating Industrial Commission cases and discusses some of the important issues that are being faced. Where appropriate, North Carolina's system is placed in the context of what other states are doing.

American Conflicts Scholarship And The New Law Merchant, Friedrich K. Juenger

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Professor Juenger argues that both the unilateralist and the multilateralist schools of thought share a fixation on the idea that law must emanate from the power of a sovereign state. The author points out that such a view of law is a historic; that, in the past, merchants relied on a substantive body of supranational rules that transcended national borders. This Article discusses the contemporary significance of the law merchant for law professors, law students, and practitioners.

The author explains how the practices of contemporary transnational commercial enterprises, as well as the opinions of contemporary scholars , support the idea …