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October 28, 2020
In an informal survey of mediators, I have found that our collective experience is universal –the initial demand is extraordinarily high, bears no relationship whatsoever to the verdict potential of the case and is usually counterproductive to the mediation...
While insurance lawsuits involving claims directly between an insurance company and its policyholder make up a relatively small percentage of our courts dockets, cases triggering liability insurance from automobile accidents to securities class actions constitute a...
It is a common understanding among trial lawyers that decisions are made emotionally and not rationally. We are always looking for the emotional hook on which to hang the case and sway a jury to see the case through that emotional prism. Now science is teaching us...
We have all encountered the spiteful litigant. Maybe it’s the husband in a divorce who says that he is going to Las Vegas and putting the marital estate on red or black at the roulette wheel. If he wins he will split it with his ex; if he loses, neither of them get...
I have encountered some confusion among lawyers and mediators over conflict of interest and disclosure requirements applicable to mediators in California. Some say there are no requirements at all. Others say that there are rules requiring...
During the course of a mediation, there are opportunities for a party to exercise control in order to obtain the best result that can be achieved at a mediation. There are also critical points during the process when a party can lose control and cede it to the...
The end of the day is nearing and the mediation has ground to a halt. The parties have narrowed the gap between them, but cannot close it. Is it time to suggest a mediator’s proposal? Does a proposed settlement amount coming from the mediator...
You have reviewed and analyzed the mediation briefs and the parties have disclosed prior settlement negotiations and where they would like to end up at the conclusion of the mediation; or the parties disclose to you during the course of early caucus meetings what they...
A famous trial lawyer welcomed his junior partner back from a hard fought trial. The lawyer congratulated his mentee on her win at trial. The junior partner responded that, “you must be mistaken, I lost at trial. The jury returned a verdict against...
The mediation has gone on for hours. The parties have negotiated slowly and methodically, but remain far apart. The negotiations are not in the “zone of agreement,” the mediator’s term for closing in on a settlement amount. The negotiations...
After the evaluative method has been exhausted, and the parties have narrowed the gap between them, the question on the table is what does it take to settle the case. Should the party with the stronger case, make a final effort to bridge the gap? Is there...
As you might be aware, there is a LinkedIn Group dedicated to Online Dispute Resolution, featuring announcements of conferences on online mediation and blogs on new products that will revolutionize technology assisted dispute resolution. This group is just the latest...