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Full-Text Articles in Law

Empowering Consumers Through Online Dispute Resolution, Amy J. Schmitz Oct 2017

Empowering Consumers Through Online Dispute Resolution, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

We transact online every day, hoping that no problems will occur. However, our purchases are not always perfect: goods may not arrive; products may be faulty; expectations may go unmet. When this occurs, we are often left frustrated, with no means for seeking redress. Phone calls to customer service are generally unappealing and ineffective, and traditional face-to-face or judicial processes for asserting claims are impractical after weighing costs against likely recovery. This is especially true when seeking redress requires travel, or for crossborder claims involving jurisdictional complexities. This situation has created a need for online dispute resolution (“ODR”), which brings …


The Cuban Missile Crisis, Historian Barbara W. Tuchman, And The Art Of Writing, Douglas E. Abrams Oct 2017

The Cuban Missile Crisis, Historian Barbara W. Tuchman, And The Art Of Writing, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

From behind-the-scenes accounts, we know that an articulate best-selling book published just a few months earlier by historian Barbara W. Tuchman, a private citizen who held no government position, contributed directly to the delicate negotiated resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

After chronicling Tuchman's contribution to world peace. this article discusses her later Public Douglas commentary about what she called the "art of writing," commentary that remains instructive for lawyers who write as representatives of clients or causes in the private or public sector.


Collective Bargaining And Dispute System Design, Rafael Gely Jan 2017

Collective Bargaining And Dispute System Design, Rafael Gely

Faculty Publications

This article seeks to reestablish the conversation between collective bargaining and dispute system design scholars. Part II provides a brief description of the system of collective bargaining by focusing on the three key steps of union organizing, contract negotiation, and contract administration. Part III does the same for the literature on dispute system design by identifying some of the seminal literature in the field as well as other work particularly relevant to workplace dispute resolution systems. In Part IV, the article seeks to achieve one modest goal and one that is more ambitious. As to the modest goal, this article …


An Innovative Matrix For Dispute Resolution: The Dubai World Tribunal And The Global Insolvency Crisis, Jayanth K. Krishnan, Harold Koster Jul 2016

An Innovative Matrix For Dispute Resolution: The Dubai World Tribunal And The Global Insolvency Crisis, Jayanth K. Krishnan, Harold Koster

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This study examines a legal experiment that occurred during the height of the global financial crisis. As markets from the United States to Europe to the Global South shook, one country – the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) – found itself on the brink of economic collapse. In particular, in 2009 the U.A.E.’s Emirate of Dubai (Emirate) was contemplating defaulting on $60 billion of debt it had amassed. Recognizing that such a default would have cataclysmic reverberations across the globe, Dubai’s governmental leaders turned to a small group of foreign lawyers, judges, accountants, and business consultants for assistance. Working in a …


Introduction: Judicial Education, Dispute Resolution, And The Life Of A Judge: A Conversation With Judge Jeremy Fogel, Director Of The Federal Judicial Center, Jeremy Fogel Hon., S. I. Strong Jul 2016

Introduction: Judicial Education, Dispute Resolution, And The Life Of A Judge: A Conversation With Judge Jeremy Fogel, Director Of The Federal Judicial Center, Jeremy Fogel Hon., S. I. Strong

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In January and June 2016, Judge Jeremy Fogel, Director of the Federal Judicial Center, sat down with Professor S.I. Strong to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the civil rules amendments and the case management process to judicial education, mediation and the role of the Federal Judicial Center. Judge Fogel also gave his views on what lawyers, academics and the public need to know about the federal judiciary and the task of judging, thereby providing important and unique insights into the judicial process.


Dispute Resolution Tools In Patent Infringement Cases: Aoki V. Gilbert, No. 2:11-Cv02787-Tln-Cnd, 2015 Wl 5734626 (E.D. Cal. 2015), Brandon Craig Jul 2016

Dispute Resolution Tools In Patent Infringement Cases: Aoki V. Gilbert, No. 2:11-Cv02787-Tln-Cnd, 2015 Wl 5734626 (E.D. Cal. 2015), Brandon Craig

Journal of Dispute Resolution

While arbitration has become a widely accepted alternative to litigation, the role it should play in patent disputes has been widely debated. Issued by the federal government, patents confer a temporary monopoly on the production, use, and sale of new innovations. The government may have an interest in keeping such disputes out of the private realm of arbitration, at least when the dispute is over the validity of the patent. For other patent issues such as licensing, which is essentially a private contract, arbitration may serve as a useful and cost-effective alternative. Even when arbitration is not warranted, other useful …


Large-Scale Dispute Resolution In Jurisdictions Without Judicial Class Actions: Learning From The Irish Experience, S. I. Strong Apr 2016

Large-Scale Dispute Resolution In Jurisdictions Without Judicial Class Actions: Learning From The Irish Experience, S. I. Strong

Faculty Publications

Recent years have seen an unprecedented expansion of the ability to assert large-scale claims in national judicial systems, either on a collective or representative (class) basis. Numerous countries, including many that excoriated United States-style class actions in the past, have now adopted various forms of collective redress as society's need to respond large-scale claims has increased. Although every jurisdiction has developed its own unique method of responding to large-scale legal injuries, there appears to be a growing consensus that contemporary legal systems require some means of responding to widespread harm involving the same or similar facts. Not every jurisdiction has …


The Idea And The Use Of Mediation And Collaborative Dispute Resolution In Due Process Disputes, Katherine Mcmurtrey Jan 2016

The Idea And The Use Of Mediation And Collaborative Dispute Resolution In Due Process Disputes, Katherine Mcmurtrey

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This Comment discusses the future of alternative dispute resolution in special education conflicts by first examining a brief history of the IDEA and the areas it covers. Due process complaints under the IDEA and mediation as a solution to due process complaints will then be addressed. Then, it will focus on mediation and its impact on parents and schools, particularly the advantages and disadvantages of mediation, and the presence of attorneys in mediation. Finally, it will look towards collaborative law, when two attorneys and their clients collaborate to reach an agreement, and the future of collaborative dispute resolution in the …


A User's Guide To Easier Flood Insurance: A Look Into The History Of Flood Insurance Claims Dispute Processing And Suggestions For Improvement, Courtney Lauer Jan 2016

A User's Guide To Easier Flood Insurance: A Look Into The History Of Flood Insurance Claims Dispute Processing And Suggestions For Improvement, Courtney Lauer

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy alone produced 144,484 claims for federal flood insurance coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP was created under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, and was designed to limit the impact of flooding on both private and public structures. The NFIP’s self-stated goal was to decrease the socioeconomic effects of natural disasters by encouraging the purchase of flood insurance and general risk insurance.


Introducing The 'New Handshake' To Expand Remedies And Revive Responsibility In Ecommerce, Amy J. Schmitz Jul 2015

Introducing The 'New Handshake' To Expand Remedies And Revive Responsibility In Ecommerce, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

There was a time when individuals would meet in person to make purchases and do deals. They would discuss the terms, assess the trustworthiness and character of their contracting partners, and conclude the deal with a handshake. The handshake helped ensure the enforcement of the deal without need for the rule of law or legal power. That handshake was one’s bond — it was a personal trust mark. With the emergence of eCommerce, however, that handshake has nearly disappeared along with the sense of responsibility it inspired. Accordingly, this article discusses how this has impacted consumers’ access to remedies regarding …


Dispute Resolution, Insurance, And Points Of Convergence, Robert H. Jerry Ii Jul 2015

Dispute Resolution, Insurance, And Points Of Convergence, Robert H. Jerry Ii

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This essay explores the intersection of dispute resolution and insurance. I come to the intersection from the perspective of insurance law, where statutes, administrative rules, and common law regulate the industry and the policyholder-insurer relationship. At its core, the business of insurance offers individuals, businesses, and other kinds of organizations a risk management alternative which enables them to acquire some measure of control over an uncertain future. But when a loss occurs, the business of insurance becomes the business of claims processing and, when disagreements arise, dispute resolution. Surprisingly, the academic study of insurance law has not borrowed heavily from …


“Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater”: Parenting Coordination And Pennsylvania’S Decisions To Eliminate Its Use, Sophie B. Mashburn Jan 2015

“Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater”: Parenting Coordination And Pennsylvania’S Decisions To Eliminate Its Use, Sophie B. Mashburn

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Parenting coordination is a relatively new ADR practice utilized by courts to assist in resolving high conflict divorce cases. Though considered controversial by some, it can also serve as an effective tool for divorced parents who struggle with regular co-parenting decisions. Parenting coordination is defined as: A child-focused alternative dispute resolution process in which a mental health or legal professional with mediation training and experience assists high conflict parents to implement their parenting plan by facilitating the resolution of their disputes in a timely manner, educating parents about children’s needs, and with prior approval of the parties and/or court, making …


Good Pretrial Lawyering: Planning To Get To Yes Sooner, Cheaper, And Better, John M. Lande Oct 2014

Good Pretrial Lawyering: Planning To Get To Yes Sooner, Cheaper, And Better, John M. Lande

Faculty Publications

Although the ostensible purpose for pretrial litigation is to prepare for trial, such preparation is inextricably intertwined with negotiation because the expected trial outcome is a major factor affecting negotiation. Indeed, since most litigated cases are settled, good litigators prepare for negotiation at least as much as trial. The lawyers interviewed for this article, who were selected because of their good reputations, described how they prepare for both possibilities. They recommend taking charge of their cases from the outset, which includes getting a clear understanding of clients and their interests, developing good relationships with counterpart lawyers, carefully investigating the cases, …


Opening Remarks, October 4, 2013 Symposium: Resolving Ip Disputes: Calling For An Alternative Paradigm, James Levin Jan 2014

Opening Remarks, October 4, 2013 Symposium: Resolving Ip Disputes: Calling For An Alternative Paradigm, James Levin

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Today, 225 years after the Constitution was drafted, we can look back and see how the protection of individual property through our patent system has helped our country grow. In 2012 alone, there were more than 576,763 U.S. patents applications filed and 276,788 patents issued. These numbers don't include the tens of thousands of patents that were bought, sold, and licensed in the private market each year. Not surprisingly, an ever-increasing number of patents are challenged through litigation. In 2012, almost 5000 patent infringement cases were filed. Litigation expenses can easily cost each party in a dispute millions of dollars, …


Mass Procedures As A Form Of "Regulatory Arbitration" - Abaclat V. Argentine Republic And The International Investment Regime, S. I. Strong Jan 2013

Mass Procedures As A Form Of "Regulatory Arbitration" - Abaclat V. Argentine Republic And The International Investment Regime, S. I. Strong

Faculty Publications

This article takes a unique and intriguing look at the issues presented by Abaclat, considering the legitimacy of mass procedures from a regulatory perspective and using new governance theory to determine whether a new form of regulatory arbitration is currently being developed. In so doing, the discussion describes the basic parameters of regulatory litigation and analyzes the special problems that arise when regulatory litigation is used in the transnational context, then transfers those concepts into the arbitral realm. This sort of analysis, which is entirely novel as a matter of either public or private law, will shape future inquiries regarding …


Lost Options For Mutual Gain? The Layperson, The Lawyer, And Dispute Resolution In Early America, Carli N. Conklin Jan 2013

Lost Options For Mutual Gain? The Layperson, The Lawyer, And Dispute Resolution In Early America, Carli N. Conklin

Faculty Publications

In 1786, legal reform activist Benjamin Austin undertook a campaign to promote the use of arbitration over litigation as the primary method of dispute resolution in Massachusetts. Although supported by a groundswell of anti-lawyer sentiment, Austin ultimately failed in securing the triumph of arbitration. Exploring Austin's pamphlet campaign in its historical context not only provides us with a snapshot of the arguments for and against dispute resolution in early America, but also serves as a corrective to the prevailing accounts of arbitration in American legal history. This article explores the context and content of Austin's pamphlet campaign and its implications …


Ensuring Remedies To Cure Cramming, Amy J. Schmitz Jan 2013

Ensuring Remedies To Cure Cramming, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

The unauthorized addition of third party charges to telecommunications bills ("cramming") is a growing problem that has caught the attention of federal regulators and state attorney generals. This Article therefore discusses the problems associated with cramming, and highlights consumers’ uphill battles in seeking remedies with respect to cramming claims. Indeed, it is imperative for policymakers, researchers, consumer advocates, and industry groups to collaborate in developing means for resolving these claims. Accordingly, this Article offers a proposal for resolving cramming disputes in order to advance this collaboration, and inspire development of a functioning online dispute resolution ("ODR") process to handle these …


American Exceptionalism In Consumer Arbitration, Amy J. Schmitz Jan 2013

American Exceptionalism In Consumer Arbitration, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

“American exceptionalism” has been used to reference the United States’ outlier policies in various contexts, including its love for litigation. Despite Americans’ reverence for their “day in court,” their zest for contractual freedom and efficiency has prevailed to result in U.S. courts’ strict enforcement of arbitration provisions in both business-to-business (“B2B”) and business-to-consumer (“B2C”) contracts. This is exceptional because although most of the world joins the United States in generally enforcing B2B arbitration under the New York Convention, many other countries refuse or strictly limit arbitration enforcement in B2C relationships due to concerns regarding power imbalances and public enforcement of …


Resolving Mass Legal Disputes Through Class Arbitration: The United States And Canada Compared, S. I. Strong Jul 2012

Resolving Mass Legal Disputes Through Class Arbitration: The United States And Canada Compared, S. I. Strong

Faculty Publications

This article compares three issues that have arisen as a result of recent Supreme Court decisions in both countries: the circumstances in which class arbitration is available; the procedures that must or may be used; and the nature of the right to proceed as a class. In so doing, the article not only offers valuable lessons to parties in the U.S. and Canada, but also provides observers from other countries with a useful framework for considering issues relating to the intersection between collective relief and arbitration.


Principles For Designing Negotiation Instruction, John M. Lande, Ximena Bustamante, Jay Folberg, Joel Lee Apr 2012

Principles For Designing Negotiation Instruction, John M. Lande, Ximena Bustamante, Jay Folberg, Joel Lee

Faculty Publications

This article analyzes recommendations in the Rethinking Negotiation Teaching (RNT) series. Instructors teaching negotiation and other dispute resolution subjects have long had a hard time trying to cover everything they would like in their courses. The RNT project has documented (and, to some extent, stimulated) a growing profusion of ideas and techniques for teaching negotiation, which has multiplied instructors’ dilemmas in designing their courses. Since instructors cannot teach everything they would like, this article suggests some general principles for making decisions about what to include and how to conduct these courses. Clearly, there is no single right or best way …


The Revolution In Family Law Dispute Resolution, John M. Lande Jan 2012

The Revolution In Family Law Dispute Resolution, John M. Lande

Faculty Publications

This article surveys a wide range of procedures that divorcing parties now use, including self-representation. Lawyers sometimes provide “unbundled” legal services to help parties who want to divide responsibilities for legal tasks between themselves and their lawyers. Parties often use mediation, arbitration, and private judging. Norms for lawyers’ professional roles have emphasized the importance of cooperation and some lawyers offer “planned early negotiation” processes such as Collaborative and Cooperative Law. Family courts engage in a wide range of activities beyond traditional litigation and adjudication. Many courts manage or mandate parent education and services related to domestic violence. Courts regularly appoint …


Faa Law, Without The Activism: What If The Bellwether Cases Were Decided By A Truly Conservative Court, Richard C. Reuben Jan 2012

Faa Law, Without The Activism: What If The Bellwether Cases Were Decided By A Truly Conservative Court, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided an extraordinary number of cases under the Federal Arbitration Act in the last half century, a pattern that continues today at the pace of a case or two a year. During this time, Republican presidential candidates have made much political hay out of the Supreme Court, running against the Warren Court’s “liberal activism” by promising to appoint judges who would decide cases more conservatively. In this article, I analyze whether this promise has been fulfilled in the context of the Supreme Court’s FAA jurisprudence by identifying the core principles of judicial conservatism – restraint, …


Access To Consumer Remedies In The Squeaky Wheel System, Amy J. Schmitz Jan 2012

Access To Consumer Remedies In The Squeaky Wheel System, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

This article explores the “Squeaky Wheel System” (“SWS”) in business-to-consumer (“B2C”) contexts, referring to merchants’ reservation of purchase remedies and other contract benefits for only the relatively few “squeaky wheel” consumers who have the requisite information and resources to persistently seek assistance. The article uncovers how this system fosters contractual discrimination and hinders consumers’ awareness and access with respect to contract remedies. It also adds empirical insights from my recent e-survey, and offers suggestions for using the internet to empower consumers of all economic and status levels with efficient and accessible means for learning about their purchase rights and asserting …


Building Bridges To Consumer Remedies In International Econflicts, Amy J. Schmitz Jan 2012

Building Bridges To Consumer Remedies In International Econflicts, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

Consumer purchases over the Internet (“ePurchases”) are on the rise, thereby causing an increase in conflicts regarding these purchases (“eConflicts”). Furthermore, these conflicts are increasingly international as consumers purchase goods over the Internet not knowing or caring where the seller is physically located. The problem is that if the purchase goes awry, consumers are often left without recourse due to the futility of pursing international litigation and the textured law and policy regarding enforcement of private dispute resolution procedures, namely arbitration. The United States strictly enforces arbitration contracts in business-to-consumer (“B2C”) relationships, while other countries have refused or limited enforcement …


Convergence And Divergence In International Dispute Resolution Symposium, Peter Rutledge Jan 2012

Convergence And Divergence In International Dispute Resolution Symposium, Peter Rutledge

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This symposium submission draws heavily on law and economic literature to develop its thesis. Part I lays out the literature behind the parties' choice to opt for arbitration. It also builds upon that literature by attempting to sketch out some preliminary reasons why parties might opt for arbitration over another form of dispute resolution. Part II charts how, along various axes, arbitration has begun to converge with litigation - thereby depriving it of a comparative advantage that it once enjoyed - due to innovations in arbitration and innovations in the field of international civil litigation. In brief, the traditional advantages …


Arbitration Ambush In A Policy Polemic, Amy J. Schmitz Oct 2011

Arbitration Ambush In A Policy Polemic, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

Arbitration has been demonized in the media and consumer protection debates, often without empirical support or consideration of its attributes. This has led to renewed efforts to pass the Arbitration Fairness Action, which would bar enforcement of pre-dispute arbitration clauses in consumer, employment, and civil rights contexts. It also inspired Dodd-Frank’s preclusion of arbitration clauses in mortgage contracts, along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s charge to prohibit or limit enforcement of pre-dispute arbitration agreements in consumer financial products and services contracts. Some of this negativity toward arbitration is warranted, especially in the wake of the United Supreme Court’s recent …


Private Transfer Fee Covenants: Cleaning Up The Mess, R. Wilson Freyermuth Oct 2010

Private Transfer Fee Covenants: Cleaning Up The Mess, R. Wilson Freyermuth

Faculty Publications

The purposes for creating a "private transfer fee" covenant range from supporting community services to creating a future revenue stream for the developer. Traditionally, courts examined these covenants using the touch and concern standard. The Restatement (Third) of Property: Servitudes, however, rejects this standard. This Article discusses this new approach as it relates to private transfer fees. The author argues that private transfer fee covenants are contrary to public policy and encourages states to enact legislation limiting the enforcement of these covenants.


Helping Good Lawyers Help Clients Make Good Decisions About Dispute Resolution, John M. Lande Oct 2010

Helping Good Lawyers Help Clients Make Good Decisions About Dispute Resolution, John M. Lande

Faculty Publications

Counseling clients about dispute resolution options is easier said than done. These can be complex and difficult decisions, and lawyers may not have appropriate resources to help lawyers counsel clients in choosing dispute resolution options. While establishing rules requiring this kind of training may help to remedy this shortcoming, perhaps the most promising involves using dispute systems design (DSD) procedures to establish better ways of training lawyers to counsel clients.


Legislating In The Light: Considering Empirical Data In Crafting Arbitration Reforms, Amy J. Schmitz Jul 2010

Legislating In The Light: Considering Empirical Data In Crafting Arbitration Reforms, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

Consumer advocates and policymakers call for abolition of predispute arbitration clauses in consumer contracts, while proponents of arbitration claim such abolition would increase companies’ dispute resolution costs, leading to higher prices and interest rates. Policymakers on both sides of the debate, however, rarely consider the empirical research necessary for crafting informed arbitration disclosure rules. This article therefore focuses on how varied research, including my own empirical studies, may inform policies regarding arbitration disclosure regulations. The article also offers suggestions for regulations tailored to have the most impact for the cost in light of this research.


Pizza-Box Contracts: True Tales Of Consumer Contracting Culture, Amy J. Schmitz Apr 2010

Pizza-Box Contracts: True Tales Of Consumer Contracting Culture, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

Do you ask for contract or purchase terms prior to completing your everyday purchases? Do you first read the pizza box before paying the pizza delivery guy or gal? Typical consumers do not ask for or read their contracts prepurchase, and companies have become accustomed to burying purchase terms in product packaging or Internet links. These postpurchase, rolling, or “pizza-box” contracts have therefore become the norm in the consumer marketplace, and courts generally enforce them as legitimate contracts. This Article discusses varying theoretical perspectives on enforcement of these pizza-box contracts, and explores the available empirical data bearing on the legitimacy …