Rick Bales (Northern Kentucky) wrote a very thoughtful blog post on the American Express v. Italian Colors Restaurant over at the Workplace Prof Blog.  I agree with much of what he said, including the observation that it is unfortunate that the Court will be making new arbitration law that likely will have a huge impact on consumer arbitration … Continue reading Rick Bales on AMEX v. Italian Colors →

Pace Law School was honored today to welcome U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to our campus to spend the day visiting and chatting with faculty, students, alumni and invited guests.  See http://newswire.blogs.law.pace.edu/2012/10/25/supreme-court-justice-sonia-sotomayor-to-visit-pace-law-school/. I for one grabbed the opportunity to ask her privately about her views on the Supreme Court’s arbitration law jurisprudence.  While she … Continue reading Justice Sotomayor on Arbitration →

George Friedman has been a top executive at FINRA Dispute Resolution since he joined its predecessor NASD fourteen years ago in 1998.  Currently Executive Vice President and Director of Dispute Resolution, Mr. Friedman recently announced he will retire at the end of this year. George has been a stellar leader of FINRA’s arbitration program, among other roles, … Continue reading George Friedman, longtime Director of Dispute Resolution at FINRA, to retire at end of year →

Yesterday the Supreme Court granted the petition for a writ of certiorari in American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Restaurant, No. 12-133, 2012 WL 3096737 (U.S. Nov. 9, 2012), to decide the following question presented:  “Whether the Federal Arbitration Act permits courts, invoking the ‘federal substantive law of arbitrability,’ to invalidate arbitration agreements on the ground … Continue reading Supreme Court grants certiorari in important arbitration case →

This entire week we are celebrating ABA Mediation Week.  Here is the ABA’s announcement of the event: Over the last few decades, the field of alternative dispute resolution has grown tremendously.  The recognition that not all cases are well suited for the adversarial process and that there are multiple paths to justice is increasingly shared … Continue reading Happy Mediation Week! →

I am pleased to circulate the official announcement and invitation of the symposium taking place at Quinnipiac Law School on Oct. 19 (in which I am participating): The Eighth John A. Speziale ADR Symposium “ADR in Hard Times:  Can Alternative Dispute Resolution Maintain Access to Justice When Resources Are Limited?”  Quinnipiac University School of Law, Hamden, CT … Continue reading ADR Symposium at Quinnipiac →

The third edition of ADR in the Workplace casebook is just about to go to the publisher.  Rick Bales, one of the book’s co-authors, is making the final edits to his chapters and would like to make a last call for articles to cite in the book.  If you have an article on any form … Continue reading Are there any employment ADR articles out there? →

Earlier this month, I received an email from the National HQ of my college sorority, Alpha Chi Omega (yes, it is painful to admit that I pledged a sorority in college), notifying me of the new “Claims and Dispute Resolution Program” the national organization had adopted “to ensure a timely and productive process to resolve issues which … Continue reading ADR for Greek Life? →

Here’s an announcement about a forthcoming symposium on ADR at Quinnipiac University School of Law, on October 19, 2012: The Connecticut Bar Foundation and Quinnipiac University School of Law present The Eighth John A. Speziale ADR Symposium:  “ADR in Hard Times: Can Alternative Dispute Resolution Maintain Access to Justice When Resources Are Limited?”  Friday, October 19, 2012, Quinnipiac University … Continue reading Save the Date: ADR Symposium at Quinnipiac Law →

I am pleased to publish this guest post from Vikki Rogers, Director of the Pace Institute of International Commercial Law and Adjunct Professor of Law at Pace Law School and Fordham Law School: Are We Meeting the Needs of Merchants and Consumers Looking to Buy and Sell Cross-Border?  Thoughts on UNCITRAL’s Working Group III on … Continue reading Vikki Rogers on UNCITRAL’s Working Group III on Online Dispute Resolution →