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Full-Text Articles in Law

Process Purity And Innovation In Dispute Resolution: A Response To Professors Stempel, Cole, And Drahozal, Richard C. Reuben Oct 2007

Process Purity And Innovation In Dispute Resolution: A Response To Professors Stempel, Cole, And Drahozal, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

This article uses a "process characteristics and values" approach to make the case against displacing arbitration finality with substantive judicial review. It responds to a trio of articles in a forthcoming Nevada Law Review symposium on whether and how the Federal Arbitration Act should be amended. In one article, Nevada Law Professor Jeffrey Stempel contends all arbitration awards should be subject to substantive judicial review similar to that of public trial courts. In a second article, Ohio State Professor Sarah Cole argues that substantive review should generally be permitted when the parties agree to it by contract, an issue now …


Consideration Of 'Contracting Culture' In Enforcing Arbitration Provisions, Amy J. Schmitz Oct 2007

Consideration Of 'Contracting Culture' In Enforcing Arbitration Provisions, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

The Federal Arbitration Act mandates strict and uniform enforcement of standardized pre-dispute arbitration provisions. This may not be proper, however, in light of the importance of context with respect to these provisions. This Article therefore seeks to remind courts of the importance of exchange context by proposing a "contracting culture" continuum for enforcing these arbitration provisions that acknowledges the impacts of these provisions in a particular communal context. "Contracting culture" encompasses economic and non-economic relational factors that impact dispute resolution agreements, but go beyond common conceptions of "culture" focused on ethnicity, nationality, or religion. It also explores beyond the primary …


A Special Publication, Richard C. Reuben Oct 2007

A Special Publication, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

As he notes, Richard Reuben was not the first editor of this magazine. But he was surely the dominant one. He took over the position in the spring issue of 1997, and over the ensuing decade he has left an indelible mark of excellence and professionalism on the publication.


Dangers Of Deference To Form Arbitration Provisions, Amy J. Schmitz Jul 2007

Dangers Of Deference To Form Arbitration Provisions, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

This Article is part of my larger project exploring what I call "contracting culture," which borrows from legal realism and relational contract theory by considering contextual factors such as negotiators' relations, understandings, and values. As part of this project, I am pursuing various threads, including empirical studies of how contracting realities impact arbitration. In this Article, however, I focus on how these realities in business to consumer contracts combine with the Federal Arbitration Act and formulaic contract law to foster dangerous deference to form arbitration provisions. The Article then invites procedural reforms and offers suggestions for regulations aimed to temper …


Several Initiatives On Media And Conflict Under Way, Richard C. Reuben Jul 2007

Several Initiatives On Media And Conflict Under Way, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

Both in Arizona and in other jurisdictions, both in longstanding and newly implemented programs, both currently and more than a decade ago, court-connected arbitration does not appear to reduce, but also does not substantially improve, the effectiveness and efficiency of dispute resolution. It does, however, seem to increase litigants' access to a hearing. How aspects of program structure could enhance arbitration's performance warrants further study.


Judging Judges And Dispute Resolution Processes, John M. Lande Apr 2007

Judging Judges And Dispute Resolution Processes, John M. Lande

Faculty Publications

This article critiques Professor Chris Guthrie's lead symposium article entitled, "Misjudging." Guthrie's article makes two major arguments. The first is a descriptive, empirical argument that judges are prone to error because of three types of "blinders" and that people underestimate the amount of such judicial error. The second argument is prescriptive, recommending that, because of these judicial blinders, disputants should consider using non-judicial dispute resolution processes generally, and particularly facilitative mediation and arbitration.This article critiques both arguments. It notes that, although Guthrie presents evidence that judges do make the kinds of errors that he describes, his article does not address …


Listening To Experienced Users, John M. Lande Apr 2007

Listening To Experienced Users, John M. Lande

Faculty Publications

In response to concerns about poor-quality mediation services in commercial cases, the Section of Dispute Resolution recently established a Task Force to develop realistic proposals to increase the quality and use of commercial mediation. As an initial step, the Task Force on Improving Mediation Quality conducted focus groups with experienced mediation users. This article summarizes key findings from the initial sets of focus groups. We found that focus group participants have nuanced understandings of the mediation process, their role in it, and the qualities they want in a mediator. In general, focus group participants want better access to information about …


News Reporting And Its Impact On Conflict, Richard C. Reuben Jan 2007

News Reporting And Its Impact On Conflict, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

This symposium seeks to bridge this important gap in our social understanding of conflict by stimulating a sustained discussion among scholars about its contours. The task is important and timely, worthy of effort on both the media and the conflict sides of the equation.


Principles For Policymaking About Collaborative Law And Other Adr Processes, John M. Lande Jan 2007

Principles For Policymaking About Collaborative Law And Other Adr Processes, John M. Lande

Faculty Publications

This Article articulates a set of principles for policymaking about alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to promote values of process pluralism, choice in dispute resolution processes, and sound decision making. It argues that policymakers should use a dispute system design (DSD) framework in analyzing policy options. DSD involves systematically managing a series of disputes rather than handling individual disputes on an ad hoc basis. It generally includes assessing the needs of disputants and other stakeholders, planning to address those needs, providing necessary training and education for disputants and dispute resolution professionals, implementing the system, evaluating it, and making periodic modifications as …


Tort Reform Renews Debate Over Mandatory Mediation, Richard C. Reuben Jan 2007

Tort Reform Renews Debate Over Mandatory Mediation, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

Despite the rise of the Democrats during the midterm elections, tort reform can be expected to continue to be an important topic at both the state and federal levels. This is significant for dispute resolution, because a number of the reform measures being discussed include mandatory mediation requirements for many, if not most, civil cases.