Uniform Collaborative Law Act – Adoption and Upcoming Conference

Andy Schepard of Hofstra Law School sent the following message to the ADR list-serv earlier this month.  A pdf of the UCLA appears here. ——– Dear ADR colleagues: I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. I am pleased to report that he Uniform Law Commission voted to adopt the Uniform Collaborative Law Act on … Continue reading Uniform Collaborative Law Act – Adoption and Upcoming Conference

Mandatory Mediation in Florida Home Foreclosures

As many readers of this blog already know, foreclosure mediation is booming across the country.  Many states with judicial foreclosure procedures (as opposed to non-judicial foreclosure states) are requiring mediation before any hearings on the foreclosure process.  Add Florida with its strong ADR practices to the list.  The Florida Supreme Court’s residential-foreclosure task force is … Continue reading Mandatory Mediation in Florida Home Foreclosures

Geoff Sharp, Mediatorblahblah, “Bows Out” of blogging

Geoff Sharp, whose Mediatorblahblah blog was one of the only things I read with regularity, announced a few days ago that he is bowing out.  We as a field are poorer for his departure, but we should all be grateful to him for his thoughtful, self-confessedly “overly opinionated” contributions. With more than a thousands posts … Continue reading Geoff Sharp, Mediatorblahblah, “Bows Out” of blogging

Collaborative Law Conference and Call for Papers

Hofstra Law School will hold a conference on “Collaborative Law: Opportunities, Challenges and Questions for the Future” on November 19 and 20, 2009. The conference announcement states: “The conference will cover topics in Collaborative Law in the context of legal ethics and professional responsibility, mediation, arbitration and other ADR processes, access to justice and vulnerable … Continue reading Collaborative Law Conference and Call for Papers

Game On !!

Today is the first day of training this semester’s crop of students in the Lodestar Mediation Clinic at ASU.  It’s a day filled with excitement and questions for both the students and myself.  From the teaching side, some of the questions remain the same.  What will the personality of the class be?  Will we have … Continue reading Game On !!

Upcoming Deadline – ABA DR Section Conference Call for Proposals

The deadline for submitting a proposal to present at the ABA’s Dispute Resolution Section’s Annual Meeting is 10 days away – August 24th.  The Section is always looking for good programs, so don’t be shy in submitting one.  The meeting is scheduled for April 2010 in San Francisco.  A copy of the Call for Proposals … Continue reading Upcoming Deadline – ABA DR Section Conference Call for Proposals

Bank of America Drops Credit Card Dispute Arbitration Requirement

In an interesting development, Bank of America announced yesterday that it would remove its pre-dispute arbitration clause from its credit card agreements.  See AP report here.  This development cannot be a coincidence and surely is tied to the increasing Congressional scrutiny over mandatory consumer arbitration and the National Arbitration Forum’s decision to exit the consumer … Continue reading Bank of America Drops Credit Card Dispute Arbitration Requirement