Law Commons^™

Lainey Feingold’S Book On Structured Negotiation, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post discusses Lainey Feingold’s book, Structured Negotiation – A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits. Lainey is a disability rights lawyer who uses a process for successfully negotiating cases without filing lawsuits. The book is a nuts-and-bolts guide for using her process.

C-Drum News, Fall 2016

The C-DRUM News

No abstract provided.

Bad Decisions To Go To Trial, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post describes an extreme example of a very common pattern of over-confident litigation risk assessments. Target Corporation was hit with a $4.6 million verdict after rejecting a $12,000 demand on behalf of a child who was stuck with a hypodermic needle in a Target parking lot. Target had offered only $750.

Uncitral And The Enforceability Of Imsas: The Debate Heats Up – Part 4, Anna Howard, Nadja Alexander, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This is the last of four in a series of blog posts on Kluwer Mediation Blog. They were published in conjunction with the the 65th session of the UNCITRAL Working Group II on arbitration and conciliation. The Working Group has turned its attention to the settlement of commercial disputes and in particular on the preparation of an instrument on the enforcement of international commercial settlement agreements resulting from conciliation. (Note that in UNCITRAL speak, the term ‘conciliation’ is used interchangeably with ‘mediation’. ) In terms of the type of instrument, the Working Group is considering the possibility of a convention, …

Shaping The Agenda 1: Exploring The Competencies, Skills And Behaviours Of Effective Workplace Mediators, Brian M. Barry, Margaret Bouchier, Alec Coakley, Deirdre Curran, James Dillon, Cyril Joyce, Treasa Kenny, Oksana Kokaylo, Louisa Meehan, Genevieve Murray

Reports

This report outlines what is currently known about workplace mediation: its benefits, styles and strategies, its expected outcomes and training challenges. It also identifies an urgent requirement for Irish research in light of the increased promotion of mediation at state level in Ireland. It outlines some international experiences of the difficulties faced in balancing high quality accreditation and regulation with innovation and growth.

Shaping The Agenda 2: Implications For Workplace Mediation Training, Standards And Practice In Ireland, Brian M. Barry, Margaret Bouchier, Alec Coakley, Deirdre Curran Dr, James Dillon, Cyril Joyce, Treasa Kenny, Oksana Meehan, Louisa Meehan, Genevieve Murray

Reports

The Report and its sister report, Shaping the Agenda 1, give a fascinating insight into the world of workplace mediation in Ireland and abroad. It identifies key issues in relation to mediator skills, competencies and behaviours in this sector of mediation. Of enormous significance is the application of this research to the Irish context and specifically to the setting and maintenance of standards of training and practice in relation to workplace mediation. This work has put the MII, as the professional association for mediators in Ireland, in a position to build standards and policies on solid, detailed and considered research, …

When To Turn To Mediation In Telco Disputes, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Ministry of Communications and Information(MCI) proposed the introduction of an alternative dispute resolution schemeto assist telecos and consumers in resolving their disputes. The mediationprocess is likely to be used. In response to this suggestion, Straits Times’ Tech Editor MsIrene Tham questioned whether mediation goes far enough to settle telcodisputes. This op-ed discusses the basic principles involved in the mediation process, as well as when mediation is appropriate and conversely when it is not. Recommendations are made on how to decide on the appropriate mode of dispute resolution for a particular dispute.

Big New Study On Necessary Lawyering Skills, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post summarizes the “Foundations of Practice” survey of lawyers which identifies “foundations” that lawyers need soon after graduation. These include communication, emotional and interpersonal intelligence, passion, ambition, professionalism, and other qualities and talents. Almost all of the items on the list refer to personal qualities that law schools don’t emphasize in their curricula. By contrast, law schools focus on things that only small proportions of the lawyers think are necessary soon after graduation.

Negotiation Symposium Virtual Book Club, John M. Lande

Faculty Blogs

As part of the Tower of Babel Symposium, speakers suggested publications providing useful insights about negotiation. The author conducted conversations with the speakers, which are collected in this post.

The English Inheritance—What The First American Colonists Knew Of Mediation And Arbitration, Derek Roebuck

Journal of Dispute Resolution

It seems fair to assume that the first American colonists took with them attitudes and practices from home, including the ways in which they routinely resolved disputes. For example, on November 11, 1647 the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony authorized the purchase of Edward Coke’s Reports, First and Second Institutes and Book of Entries, “to the end we may have the better light for making and proceedings about laws.” But does that mean it was natural then for parties with differences to look to litigation for an answer? This Article provides ample evidence of a preference for other …

Professor Roebuck’S Lessons For Mediators, Arbitrators, And Historians, Douglas E. Abrams

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Professor Roebuck’s biographical essay on Nathaniel Bacon, the centerpiece of his historical article, delivers a timely lesson about how adherence to solid personal standards can elevate a mediator or arbitrator above the rest of the pack. With an eye toward future national direction, the article closes by summoning American historians to chronicle the development of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) since the nation’s colonial days.

Where The “Puck” Is Going – And What Faculty Should Do To Help Students Get There, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post summarizes presentations and discussion at a program of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s annual Legal Educators’ Colloquium. The conversation addressed anticipated changes that might affect legal and dispute resolution practice, how practice might change as a result, and how these changes could affect people’s teaching.

Magistrate Judges, Settlement, And Procedural Justice, Nancy A. Welsh

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Micro-Housing In Seattle: A Case For Community Participation In Novel Land Use Decisions, Patrick Carter

Seattle University Law Review

Rather than relying solely on the formal interpretations of government regulators invited by the structure of local zoning ordinances, the City of Seattle should adopt a process that invites community-based mediation and problem-solving when a significant shift in housing density is contemplated in a developer’s proposal. Greater resident participation in development projects allows the City of Seattle to better support those residents in their reliance interests arising from zoning ordinances while simultaneously furthering the policies that underpin urban zoning. This is especially true when such development projects raise the possibility of substantial impacts on the character of a community or …

A Consideration Of Alternatives To Divorce Litigation, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Thomas Carbonneau

This article argues for the need to inform divorce proceedings with a sense of the human reality of matrimonial breakdown. Part one assesses the adequacy of the existing adjudicatory approach to divorce by focusing upon the hiatus between the legal approach to divorce and the emotional content of divorce disputes. Part two lays the foundation for constructive change, providing a statistical portrait of divorce in contemporary America. Part four discusses mediation and suggests that it is a more viable alternative mechanism to divorce litigation. Part five discusses the implementation of a judicial arbitration structure.

Of Grids And Gatekeepers: The Socioeconomics Of Mediation, Robert Rubinson

All Faculty Scholarship

Mediation scholars have long debated which mediator “style” or “model” is correct. The origin of the debate arises from a foundational piece of scholarship by Leonard Riskin. Riskin proposed a “grid” of mediator orientations comprised of what came to be known as “facilitative mediation” and “evaluative mediation.” A more recent addition to the grid—and one that is almost universally recognized as a distinct model—is “transformative mediation.” These three models are so embedded in the literature of mediation that they have been called “the big three.” The influence of Riskin’s work cannot be overstated. It has resonated within the community of …

Newsroom: Ap: Chung On 38 Studios Settlement 03-14-2016, Michelle R. Smith, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Surveying The Landscape Of Conflict Management, Tom Stipanowich, J. Kwang Ho Lim, E. Y. Park, Beomsu Kim, Joongi Kim

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Emergence Of Mediation In Korean Communities, Peter Robinson, J. Youngjin Lee, J. Kwang Ho Lim, Ryul Kim

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Happier Ending For Everyone: Resolving Adoption Disputes Between Putative Fathers And Adoptive Parents Through Clinical Mediation, Tiffany Bostinelos

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article will discuss the problems putative fathers face when their biological child is put up for adoption without their consent or knowledge. It will further argue that when a custody issue does arise between putative fathers and adoptive parents, the best way to resolve the custody dispute--and more importantly protect the best interest of the child--is through a process called clinical mediation. Finally, even if clinical mediation is not successful, this article will argue that clinical mediators should be permitted to make recommendations to the court as to the custody or visitation issues.

The Glucose Model Of Mediation: Physiological Bases Of Willpower As Important Explanations For Common Mediation Behavior, Roy F. Baumeister, W. Scott Simpson, Stephen J. Ware, Daniel S. Weber

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Success in life requires the ability to resist urges and control behavior. This ability is commonly called “willpower,” the capacity to overcome impulses and engage in conscious acts of self-control. Social psychologists believe willpower is a finite resource dependent on physiological bases including glucose (from food and drink), sleep and other forms of rest, and the absence of stress. In short, people who are hungry, exhausted, or highly stressed tend to have less willpower than those who are well-fed, well-rested, and relatively stress-free. In addition, a person who exerts self-control (uses willpower) tends to reduce temporarily the amount of willpower …

The Intersection Between Legal Risk Management And Dispute Resolution In The Commercial Context, Garrick Apollon

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article explains the key advantages and challenges of using LRM to help lawyers managing substantive matters related to the commercial negotiations and disputes, and the key advantage of using ADR techniques for the management of nonsubstantive matters related to commercial negotiations and disputes. This article overall demonstrates that LRM can complement dispute resolution and vice versa. This article also demonstrates how LRM can be utilized in commercial negotiations and mediations.

Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen: Examining The Major Obstacles To Achieving Peace In Syria's Civil War, Amanda Pitrof

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The struggle for peace has been waged over and over, in numerous countries. Syria is no exception. It is a country with a history of violent conflict and political instability. The current regime is authoritarian to the extreme, and the range of competing religious interests is diverse. The civil war now consuming the country has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and thrown the country's future into question. This article will first briefly examine the country's turbulent history and the development of the current conflict. Next, it will evaluate previous attempts to solve the conflict. Then, it will …

One Quest For Eleven Distinct Wine Regions: How Implementing Mediation Would Benefit The Ava Creation Process, Jayme Lehman

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article will address the petition process and its pitfalls and will provide a recommendation regarding changes that can be made in order to improve the system. Section II will first address the specific requirements that must be presented to the TTB when petitioning for a new or modified AVA. Section II will then discuss the options available to the TTB to address incoming petitions. Section III will examine the three areas of an AVA petition that can be the most problematic and will cite specific examples of those problem areas (with an emphasis on the Paso Robles petition). Section …

Transforming News: How Mediation Principles Can Depolarize Public Talk, Carol Pauli

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

News media interviews bring opposing voices into the public forum where, ideally, audience members can deliberate and reach democratic compromise. But in today's politically polarized atmosphere, partisans increasingly accuse each other of being a threat to the country, and prospects for compromise have suffered. Journalists have been urged to take a more affirmative role, promoting problem solving and opposing conflict. They have stopped short, citing professional norms that demand a stance of neutral detachment. This article turns to the principles of transformative mediation. Like journalism, it is detached from any goal of settlement. It aims instead at increasing the capacity …

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

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

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 No. 125 of the National Council of Justice (CNJ), analyzing a possible program design feasible for the country, focusing on the issues of funding, …

Easy Assignment To Promote Law Students’ Apprenticeship Of Identity, John Lande

Faculty Blogs

This post describes an assignment in which students were required to review several law firm websites and write a homepage for the kind of practice that they would like to be part of. The post includes the assignment, which faculty are welcome to use or adapt.

News Media As Mediators (Cardozo J. Conflict Resol.), Carol Pauli

Carol Pauli

This paper explores journalism as a potential method of conflict resolution. Part I compares the norms and practices of journalism to those of facilitative mediation. Part II draws additional parallels between some aspects of journalism and two other forms of dispute resolution: transformative mediation and adjudication. Part III suggests some areas for encouragement and some areas for caution as peace journalists import conflict resolution techniques into news reporting and writing.

Mediation, Legal Clinic Program

Course Descriptions and Information

Students will learn and develop skills crucial to the role of mediators and legal professionals. By focusing and implementing mediation methodologies, students will learn skills of active listening and communications; conflict, issue and interests spotting, information gathering and negotiations techniques; problem-solving strategies and approaches; and effective mediation settlement agreement drafting.

Finra Dispute Resolution Task Force Releases Its Final Report, With Support For Mediation And Live Hearings, Jill I. Gross

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Late in 2015, the FINRA Dispute Resolution Task Force, a group formed solely for the purpose of systematically assessing and critiquing securities arbitration, released its Final Report and Recommendations. The report contains 51 individual recommendations designed to improve FINRA's heavily-regulated dispute resolution program. Some recommendations offer specific details on implementation; others urge conceptual reform of a particular aspect of the arbitration process but leave FINRA to take care of fleshing out the details.

This article briefly describes the task force's formation; highlights its key recommendations (such as requiring mediation before arbitration of all claims-- subject to party opt-out, and introducing …