The DR Blogosphere

With the start of the new year, I made a resolution that I would do a better job of keeping up on other law blogs out there, particularly those on dispute resolution.   I have actually set up RSS feeds and am reading, if not daily, at least regularly some of what is posted on other blogs in dispute resolution.  And, let me tell you, these blogs are really terrific resources. 

So…rather than linking to only one of them this week, I wanted to link to a few great stories from this past week.  First, on Settle It Now written by Vicky Pynchon, she addresses an article, The Privatization of Civil Justice  by Professor Murray of Harvard Law School that argues that mediation is the bane of all existence (or something like that.)  Vicky does a great job parsing the claims that Murray makes and demonstrating where he is wrong. 

Second, and in a somewhat linked topic, Geoff Sharp at the brilliantly named blog, Mediator Blah Blah , looks at the closing of the well-known litigation firm Heller Ehrman and asks the important question: Is Settling Bad for Business?  With so many cases settling, apparently Heller Ehrman faces a 60% loss in revenue.  Sharp asks whether lawyers should be considering their own interests when deciding whether to settle a case.

Third, Gini Nelson at Engaging Conflicts wrote last week about her interview with Doug Yarn, the Executive Director of the Consortium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and Professor of Law at Georgia State University.  She has been interviewing a series of people in the field of dispute resolution and also writes about books in the field. 

Finally, a last favorite is Diane Levin at the Mediation Channel blog.  Today’s post is about negotiating for beer, a topic sure to endear itself to many.  Another earlier post that I enjoyed very much was her post last February about what voters could learn from the field of negotiation

There’s a lot out there and I am sure there are excellent topical blogs beyond the four that I have listed.  Let me know what else I should be reading!

4 thoughts on “The DR Blogosphere”

  1. Thanks for the link, Andrea. I’m looking forward to keeping up with indisputably this school year.

    To bring a little perspective to the Heller issue — my own sweet litigator-husband was a Heller partner for nearly 35 years before he joined another firm — for non-Heller demise reasons — this February.

    Many of our friends and former colleagues at Heller at ALL levels (don’t forget the STAFF) are suffering and could use any leads for neew positions anyone has. Check out Heller’s life raft — Heller Highwater here —

    http://hellerdrone.wordpress.com/

    I’ve personally lived through the dissolution of a litigation group and nearly everyone found a life raft but it helps to be given a helping hand. I found employment through the efforts of a partner from another firm in my joint defense team who had become a friend through years of out-of-town deposition trips. The Heller Highwater blog is a great example of people pulling together in tough times — just what mediation practice is all about.

    The reason for Heller’s present troubles are, of course, far more nuanced than any single factor could account for.

    Sorry to burden YOUR blog with these comments but since both you and Geoff mentioned it, I thought I’d add the human factor.

    Cheers! Vickie

  2. Hi, Andrea,

    Many thanks for the shout-out for DR bloggers (and glad to hear that you enjoyed my post on beer and bartering).

    Since you asked readers to suggest other topical blogs, I’d like to recommend a couple with a distinctly international flavor. One’s a podcast, the beautifully produced International Dispute Negotiation with Michael McIlwrath, Senior Counsel for GE Infrastructure, playing affable host to leading figures in the DR and negotiation worlds.

    Another is ICT for Peacebuilding, Sanjana Hattotuwa’s unique look at technology-mediated conflict resolution and peace building, based in Sri Lanka. Some of the best writing on the web and consistently thought-provoking.

    Thanks again for your support and kind words, Andrea!

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