The cost of moving, the odds of winning, and the risks of losing. Summary judgment is a pre-trial, usually late-discovery or post-discovery motion in which the moving party or parties seek a ruling that the admissible evidence shows there is “no triable issue of material fact” in dispute, judgment, and therefore no reason for a …
Mediation is quickly becoming a way to resolve disputes within the workplace and other settings. Looking at the different kinds of mediation scenarios that play out in mediation allows us to understand how helpful mediation can be. Although conflict is a fact of life, mediation helps make it a manageable and productive part of life. …
Are you sure you are going to come out on top in the upcoming business negotiations, though you have just joined the bargaining team? Be careful, you may be suffering from overconfidence. According to Merriam-Webster.com, overconfidence is: “The quality of being overconfident; excessive confidence.” Overconfident, in turn, is defined as: “excessively or unjustifiably confident: …
One of the most noticeable issues that could arise in a negotiation or mediation is an imbalance of power. Often one of the hardest issues to overcome if the neutral or the parties are not prepared, and still difficult when the neutral is prepared, an imbalance can easily throw an otherwise successful dispute resolution process.
The word impasse has a particular meaning when it applies to alternative dispute resolution. The Collins English Dictionary defines the impasse noun by describing a situation, particularly, “If people are in a difficult position in which it is impossible to make any progress, you can refer to the situation as an impasse.” While the meaning …
Allen Brent smirked across the negotiating table at Sheila. “You know, Ms. Baker, you haven’t got a snowball’s chance of winning. I’m authorized to offer you three months’ salary and a waiver of costs in return for complete dismissal, No more.” “Three months! That’s unfair. Renee got a year! And she didn’t have my medical …
Mediation is a dynamic process. This can mean stepping back, leaning out, and adopting a process that empowers the parties to set their own agenda and seek outcomes that may greatly vary from the objectives set forth in the briefs by lawyers who are trained as advocates more than problem-solvers. In disputes where distributive bargaining …
I’ve been doing appellate mediation since the program began, and I’ve been genuinely surprised by the success rate. At the program’s inception, I anticipated a significantly lower success rate than I’ve had with non-appellate mediations — but it’s about 70%, which isn’t much lower than my rate for other matters. While my approach to conducting …
By Dan Simon “They’re just sore losers,” Myrna said. She had called me to ask whether I’d mediate between her and her neighbors, who were complaining about a fence she’d built and various other things. She’d won in arbitration, but the Smiths didn’t like the arbitrator’s decision, so they sued her in state court. The …
By Eric M. Epstein, Esq. I’ve practiced employment law for more than 35 years, representing both employees and employers. I‘ve also been selected as an Arbitrator in more than 50 employment arbitrations. As a result of this experience, I have come to recognize common factors that often precipitate wrongful termination cases. While there’s no way …