Law Commons^™

Finding The Appropriate Mode Of Dispute Resolution: Introducing Neutral Evaluation In The Subordinate Courts, Dorcas Quek Anderson, Chi-Ling Seah

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) movement has gained significant traction over the last three decades and has been expanding at a rapid pace in many common law jurisdictions. The allure of ADR lies, in large part, in its recognition of litigants’ desire for self-determination and autonomy in resolving their disputes. ADR became even more attractive as dissatisfaction with the traditional court system grew. In the seminal Roscoe Pound Conference on Popular Causes of Dissatisfaction with the Administration of Justice in USA, the changing role of the courts was highlighted, casting ADR further into the spotlight.i Instead of offering only adjudication …

Musings On Mediation, Kleenex, And (Smudged) White Hats, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay speculates on the global future of mediation. It anticipates that mediation’s popularity will continue to grow both in the U.S. and abroad particularly as courts continue to encourage and institutionalize the process. Meanwhile, the Essay acknowledges the existence and continuing development of a relatively small cadre of elite lawyers and retired judges who serve as private mediators in large, complex matters.

The Essay also raises concerns, though, regarding the current lack of clarity in the goals and procedural characteristics that define mediation. The Essay asserts that such lack of clarity invites abuse of the mediation privilege and exclusionary …

Opening The Mediation Window In The Arbitration House, Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Throughout the 20th century the arbitration house has dominated the landscape of international commercial dispute resolution withthe court house providing another part of the structural landscape. In the 21st century foundations are being laid for construction of a free-standing mediation house in international dispute resolution practice. Meanwhile a closer inspection of arbitration house reveals the ongoing construction of mediation and other ADR windows in its design. In this paper I explore how and why mediation windows are being built, their structural and functional soundness and the extent to which they may open up and transform arbitration.

The Mediation Meta-Model: The Realities Of Mediation Practice, Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this article, I expand on the literature and present a meta-model for thinking about mediation practice. The Mediation Meta-Model is a structure for identifying different mediation approaches and how they relate to one other. It makes no claim to universal application. Rather, it offers a conceptual road-map for an increasingly complex and sophisticated array of practices which share the name mediation. The theoretical foundations and analysis for the Meta-Model have been included in previous work (2008).It is well known in Australian mediation circles that mediation practice does not always correspond to the dominant facilitative training model—even though, on the …

Regulating Mediator Qualifications In The 2008 Eu Mediation Directive: The Need For A Supranational Standard, Ashley Feasley

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This paper will illustrate how the regulation of mediator training and the implementation of minimum qualification levels will help the Directive have a longterm impact in six parts. Part II will briefly examine mediation in an international law context. Part III will discuss the history of the Directive and pertinent provisions of the Directive. Part IV will address the recent situation in Italy, with a particular focus on the opposition to Legislative Decree 28, mandatory mediation, and the perceived lack of mediator qualifications. Part V will examine the current mediator trainings and qualification standards that are required in other selected …

Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation In Florida - Implementation Challenges For An Institutionalized Program, Sharon Press

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Integrating "Alternative" Dispute Resolution Into Bankruptcy: As Simple (And Pure) As Motherhood And Apple Pie, Nancy A. Welsh

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

"Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" Technology Can Reduce Dispute Resolution Costs When Times Are Tough And Improve Outcomes, David Allen Larson

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Integrating "Alternative" Dispute Resolution Into Bankruptcy: As Simple (And Pure) As Motherhood And Apple Pie?, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

Today, there can be little doubt that “alternative” dispute resolution is anything but alternative. Nonetheless, many judges, lawyers (and law students) do not truly understand the dispute resolution processes that are available and how they should be used. In the shadow of the current economic crisis, this lack of knowledge is likely to have negative consequences, particularly in those areas of practice such as bankruptcy and foreclosure in which clients, lawyers, regulators, and courts work under pressure, often with inadequate time and financial resources to permit careful analysis of procedural options. Potential negative effects can include: (1) impairment of a …

The Hendershott Ruling: When Mediation Runs Into Domestic Violence, Eduardo R.C. Capulong

Faculty Journal Articles & Other Writings

This article examines the Montana Supreme Court's decision in Hendershott v. Westphal, a case of first impression in which the Court held that MCA 40-4-301(2) bars district courts in family law proceedings "from authorizing or continuing mediation of any kind where there is a reason to suspect emotional, physical, or sexual abuse."

Timing Settlement, Curtis E.A. Karnow

Curtis E.A. Karnow

A review of empirical and theoretical research pertaining to the effective timing of settlement conferences, and the factors affecting success at settlement.

Court-Connected Mediation And Minorities: A Report Card, Sharon Press

Faculty Scholarship

Critical race theorists have raised important concerns about alternative dispute resolution in general and mediation specifically. Many of the critiques were written prior to the ascendency of court-connected mediation. To set the context, Part II of this article begins with a brief history of the court-connected mediation movement in the United States. In Part III, the critiques of mediation, specifically focusing on those related to minorities, are summarized. Part IV identifies some of the flaws in the critiques as related to court-connected mediation. Part V includes actions that court programs can undertake to address the issues raised by the critiques …

Give Peace A Chance: A Guide To Mediating Child Welfare Cases, Jennifer Baum

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

Would you like to speed up your cases, achieve more satisfying results for your clients, and cut back on needlessly polarizing motion practice? Since its introduction in the 1980s, child welfare mediation has helped attorneys do just that by facilitating resolutions in child protective disputes more quickly, less contentiously, and with more acceptance from stakeholders than its courtroom alternative, adversarial litigation.

If you've handled dependency cases for any length of time, you are already familiar with the crushing caseloads, emotional volatility, and high-stakes decision-making that are the hallmarks of child welfare litigation. In a growing number of jurisdictions, attorneys …

Examining The International Judicial Function: International Courts As Dispute Resolvers, Anna Spain

Publications

This article examines the judicial function of international courts by considering both what it is and what it ought to be. The article identifies and describes two distinct functions - dispute settlement and peace promotion - and explores the tensions that exist in pursuing these two aims. It then introduces a third way of understanding the international judicial function that respects international courts’ traditional role as dispute settlers while allowing for their more engaged and proactive function as peacemakers. This third approach conceptualizes that the role of international courts is to resolve disputes. Doing so requires understanding courts as entities …

Beyond Adjudication: Resolving International Resource Disputes In An Era Of Climate Change, Anna Spain

Publications

This Article examines the role of international adjudication as a mechanism for resolving international disputes and promoting global peace and security in an era of climate change. The central claim is that adjudication has limitations that make it ineffective as a tool for resolving international resource disputes. The Article argues that adjudication is limited due to source and process challenges and it illustrates this claim by reviewing cases adjudicated by the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and other international courts and tribunals. Four categories of adjudication limitation emerge: a) cases where the parties refused to submit …

Mediating Multiculturally: Culture And The Ethical Mediator, Carrie Menkel-Meadow, Harold I. Abramson

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This commentary on mediating multiculturally in a chapter of Mediation Ethics (edited by Ellen Waldman) suggests there are times when mediators should not mediate, because of their own ethical commitments. Commenting on a hypothetical divorce scenario (of Ziba, a 17 year old from her 44 year old husband, with two children aged 3 and 2, where the parties claim to want Shari’a principles to apply), the author (Carrie Menkel-Meadow) suggests that she would not mediate a case which might violate formal laws (American marriage and divorce laws) or infringe on rights that one of the parties might not be fully …

Moving Beyond "Just" A Deal, A Bad Deal Or No Deal: How A Deal-Facilitator Engaged By The Parties As "Counsel To The Deal" Can Help Them Improve The Quality And Sustainability Of The Outcome, Manon Schonewille, Kenneth Fox

Kenneth H Fox

Mediation is commonly characterized as one of several core ADR processes. The vast majority of the mediation literature focuses on dispute settlement and resolution. However, relatively little attention is paid to the transactional potential of business mediation - ways in which this ADR process can assist the parties to build better deals. This article describes mediation as a deal-facilitation process.