Using collaborative law in dispute resolution, especially in family law, helps parties find solutions that meet their needs and the needs of the other parties. Collaborative law, also known as collaborative practice, is a practice of law that shifts from an adversarial mindset to a collaborative mindset. It is most commonly practiced in family law …
In the early stages of a case, the parties may find out that they are required to attend a meeting called a case management conference. A case management conference is the first step in moving the case forward and gives the judge and the parties the chance to see what the case is about and …
Mediation is a common and growing alternative to litigation in the business community and in the courts. Users choose it for a variety of reasons: it’s confidential, non-binding, less time consuming than litigation, less costly, provides parties with greater control over their own destiny, and greater process satisfaction. Nearly half of survey respondents cited confidentiality …
By Jeff Benz, Esq., MBA Surveys and studies demonstrate that the overwhelming costs of commercial arbitrations are not arbitrator fees or fees charged by arbitration providers, but the costs incurred by the parties to present their cases. Generally between 75% and 80% of the total expenses of an arbitration are attributable to the parties’ own …
By Scott B. Garner, Shawn M. Kennedy A. Introduction Any lawyer who has taken a case to mediation knows – at least in some vague, general way – that settlement discussions occurring during the mediation enjoy some level of confidentiality protection. Mediators themselves, of course, may have some greater understanding of what is and is …
Article Clarifications: 1. A guideline or checklist of topic points was developed to cover a typical start-to-finish opening statement scenario. Those topic bullet points are designated in bold print but are not meant to be spoken. 2. Italic text enclosed in parentheses explains the mediator’s objective. 3. Bold text enclosed in parentheses are technical tips …
Occasionally, a court will recommend an early neutral evaluation shortly after a case has been filed. Courts will usually recommend this when they believe an evaluation may help the parties accurately see their positions compared to the other party’s and potentially think about a settlement. Sometimes, a court will recommend the case to early …
One of the things I enjoy most about my job as a mediator is the flexibility inherent in the mediation process I utilize. Typically, I’m assuming, you see mediation as a process where you can confidently come together with other parties involved in litigation, call a timeout, and determine if the parties can reach an agreement to resolve the case. This is how I’m asked to lead mediations about 95% of the time. However, there are other circumstances in which I’ve been hired as a mediator, some of which may surprise you.
Mediation briefs should be shared well before the mediation session: to save time in session; to give each side the full force of the other’s positions; to give each side time to carefully consider the other’s positions and calmly prepare a response; to begin establishing the settlement ballpark. Let’s consider the alternatives, their bases, and their effects.
The companion provision to mediation confidentiality is the mediation privilege, which makes evidence of mediation communications inadmissible in future legal proceedings. As with the confidentiality provisions discussed above, local laws are a crazy quilt, with only about half the states having adopted the UMA or similar provisions. The federal courts are even more inconsistent.