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Full-Text Articles in Law
No Exceptions: How The Legitimate Business Justification For Unconscionability Only Further Demonstrates California Courts' Disdain For Arbitration Agreements, Thomas H. Riske
Journal of Dispute Resolution
In Davis v. O'Melveny & Myers, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether an arbitration agreement adopted by a law firm and distributed to its employees was enforceable. When interpreting an arbitration agreement, how the contract doctrine of unconscionability should be applied by state courts, is an essential element of this case. While the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA") has been interpreted to preempt any state law in conflict with it, state laws governing the necessary foundation to revoke a contract remain unaffected. In considering these principles, state courts have applied the doctrine of unconscionability to arbitration agreements in the …
Why Should Businesses Hire Settlement Counsel, Kathy A. Bryan
Why Should Businesses Hire Settlement Counsel, Kathy A. Bryan
Journal of Dispute Resolution
As a former in-house litigation manager, I hired separate settlement counsel in only a few cases and with varying results. With responsibilities for hiring and managing a large portfolio of outside firms, I was loath to increase case-staffing ranks for many reasons-and cost was only one factor. Internal resources must oversee litigation, and having another set of outside lawyer relationships on the same case generally seemed duplicative. Worse, it demanded more of my scarce time to manage both the relationship and the primary litigation firm