Corporate Use and Perceptions of ADR and What It Could Suggest for Legal Education

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Fulbright and Jaworski’s recently-released Fourth Annual Litigation Trends Survey Findings include an intriguing snapshot regarding corporations’ use and views of their dispute resolution process options.  The survey is based on responses from 305 participants—general counsel, associate general counsel, vice-presidents & general counsel, and deputy general counsel—who work for publicly and privately held companies in the … Continue reading Corporate Use and Perceptions of ADR and What It Could Suggest for Legal Education →

Argument this Week in Hall Street Associates v. Mattel

Hall St. Assocs., L.L.C. v. Mattel, Inc., 196 F. App’x 476 (9th Cir. 2006), cert. granted, 127 S. Ct. 2875 (May 29, 2007) Argument: November 7, 2007 By Sarah Cole Listen to the Podcast Issue: Whether the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) prohibits federal courts from enforcing “a post-dispute agreement to review an arbitration award for … Continue reading Argument this Week in Hall Street Associates v. Mattel →

New California Data on Employment Arbitration

When California legislators decided to require arbitration providers to disclose certain information about their arbitrations, they were probably focused on helping individual people who faced the prospect of participating in an arbitration proceeding.  But the resulting data is also allowing us get an overall look at the status and effects of private arbitration, at least … Continue reading New California Data on Employment Arbitration →

Wrongful Death and Arbitration

A recent case from the Ohio Supreme Court illustrates a division in the way different jurisdictions treat workers’ compensation claims where the employer and employee signed an arbitration agreement. In Peters v. Columbus Steel Castings Co., 115 Ohio St.3d 134 (2007) http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/newpdf/default.asp, the employee agreed to arbitrate all claims he might have against his employer. … Continue reading Wrongful Death and Arbitration →

The Possible Effect of Tightened Pleading Requirements on ADR

Last summer, in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007), the Supreme Court may have signaled the tightening of pleading requirements.  I’ve been wondering whether this also could signal the beginning of a trend that will affect the value—and perhaps even the viability—of ADR.  It’s pretty clear … Continue reading The Possible Effect of Tightened Pleading Requirements on ADR →

Diplomacy as Catastrophe? Or is it a BOBO—the Best of Bad Options…

North Korea’s agreement to dismantle its nuclear program appears to be a stunning success of diplomacy. The six party talks appear to have brought the right actors to the table that can offer both carrots and sticks. Our $100 million in aid (1/3 of total package) seems like a bargain. Could it be that this … Continue reading Diplomacy as Catastrophe? Or is it a BOBO—the Best of Bad Options… →

In Praise of (Written) Representations in Mediated Settlements

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Too often, mediated settlement agreements produce post-mediation litigation in which one party alleges that the mediated agreement was the product of fraud. By encouraging parties to employ standard contracting devices, mediators can help parties to avoid some of most challenging aspects of these fights—and hopefully avoid the fights altogether. Last week, Professor Ellen Deason posted … Continue reading In Praise of (Written) Representations in Mediated Settlements →

Enforcement of Mediation Clauses, Careful Drafting and Separability

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Recently, in an unpublished per curiam opinion in USA Flea Market v. EVMC Real Estate Consultants, et al., 2007 WL 2615887 (11th Cir., Sept. 12, 2007), a three-member panel of the Eleventh Circuit reversed summary judgment for a party seeking to enforce a contractual obligation to mediate as a condition precedent to litigation.  Like so … Continue reading Enforcement of Mediation Clauses, Careful Drafting and Separability →

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