Many lawyers seem to be constantly questioning whether they can be happy as lawyers. A new book, The Happy Lawyer: Making a Good Life in the Law takes a comprehensive look at this question and concludes that yes, it is very possible to be a happy lawyer. Professors Nancy Levit and Douglas O. Linder do a … Continue reading Can Lawyers be Happy?
I am happy to welcome Susan Yates and RSI to the ADR blogosphere. Their new court-connected blog is outlined below in a message from Susan: I am excited to announce Resolution Systems Institute’s new blog, Just Court ADR. The blog is written by two RSI colleagues and myself, and highlights important topics in court ADR. … Continue reading New Blog for RSI
Every other year or so, I try to attend the International Association of Conflict Management (IACM) annual meeting to keep up to date on what is going on in other related fields. The meeting is very high powered–some of the best known names in the conflict resolution field in business schools, econ departments, public policy, … Continue reading Keeping up on Interdisciplinary Work
Susan S. Raines, Director of the Master’s of Science in Conflict Management Program at Kennesaw State University in Georgia send around a notice earlier today that they are looking to make an entry level hire in their graduate program. According to the description: Minimum qualifications at the time of appointment include a Ph.D. in conflict … Continue reading Kennesaw State is Hiring
I got my copy of the ABA Journal today with it’s list of the 25 greatest fictional lawyers, excluding Atticus Finch. This kind of frivolity is good for competing with People Magazine for airplane reading, but not much else. Later in the magazine, the Journal makes up for that by listing the 2010 ABA Award … Continue reading Kudos to the ABA Journal
Last week I posted about a grant from the Obama Administration to support “judge-directed negotiations” in medical practice litigation in New York. The purpose of the grant was to build on the success of Judge Douglas McKeon, who has been using mediation techniques in med-mal cases involving NYC hospitals. Jeff Thompson at ADRHub has now … Continue reading Humanness in Med-Mal (Continued)
I don’t really know much about the video appearing here: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H8xzRNRKKE). One of my research assistants (I would name her, but I forgot to ask if she wanted credit or anonymity) forwarded me the link, along with the explanation that this comes from a show called “Home Movies.” As she explains, it’s “about kids making … Continue reading Negotiation Over Points … a video not to miss
A few weeks ago, Kathleen Parker, a writer for the Washington Post, likened Obama to a woman because of his negotiation style, calling him the first female president. (See the article here.) Confronted with crises and criticisms, our President hasn’t responded in the alpha dog style of many male politicians. Instead, he’s a listener and … Continue reading Obama’s “Feminine” Communication Style
In a closely-watched case, the Supreme Court of the State of Washington held today that statutes of limitation do not apply in arbitration. Broom v. Morgan Stanley DW, Inc., No. 82311-1 (Sup. Ct. Wa. July 22, 2010). In that case, an NASD arbitration panel dismissed investors’ garden-variety suitability claims against their brokers on state statute of … Continue reading Washington State Highest Court Rules Statutes of Limitations Do NOT Apply to Arbitration
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled today, in an advisory opinion, that Kosovo’s 2008 unilateral declaration of independence did not violate international law. It will be interesting to watch the impact from this decision. In the short term the obvious hope is that the decision will not incite violence in Serbia or within Kosovo. … Continue reading Not Illegal
