Featured Articles

RI Supreme Court Proposes Use of Former Judges as Private Decision-Makers

January 06, 2009 14:12

Litigants in publicly filed civil cases in Rhode Island may soon have another means of resolving their dispute, by hiring a private, retired judge to hear their cases confidentially. The proposal is based on a law that was enacted in 1984 but has not been used. According to an ABA Journal's...

Recent Articles

National Arbitration Forum Ends Administration of Consumer Arbitrations

July 23, 2009 19:19

Within the last week, as part of a settlement with the Minnesota Attorney General, the National Arbitration Forum decided to voluntarily cease accepting new consumer arbitration case filings in response to mounting legal and legislative challenges.Unfortunately, American consumers now will have no...

Faced with Fiscal Crisis, States are Cutting Court Budgets and Choosing Low-Cost Mandatory Mediation

July 17, 2009 14:33

Mediation can help overburdened court systems resolve foreclosure disputes says commentator Nick Thomas, Esq. in a TCPalm.com story (Mediation loosens the budget squeeze for courts and litigants, 6/23/2009).Mandatory mediation programs have began in Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee...

5 New ADR Blogs to Add to Your Reading List, By Diane Levin

July 14, 2009 14:35

We are pleased to share from alternative dispute resolution professional Diane Levin the following "Top 5 Tuesdays" post. 5 New ADR Blogs to Add to Your Reading ListOver four years ago, I launched my mediation blog, Mediation Channel. At that time just a handful of ADR practitioners published...

The National Arbitration Forum Makes Blawg Review #220

July 13, 2009 14:48

Housed on Overlawyered.com, this week's law blog review rounded up some highlights of the past week from around the legal blogosphere, including a guest post to the National Arbitration Forum Blog from last Tuesday. Thanks to Walter Olson for including us in the "international" section:Kenneth...

Court-Ordered Mediation Is a Good Alternative to Trial

July 09, 2009 18:00

In his weekly law column at Victoria Advocate, University of Houston Law Professor Richard Alderman explains mediation to a Texan wondering:I filed a claim in small claims court. I have been told that before my trial I will have to mediate the case. What is this? Do I have to do it? How much does...

Case Study: How One Medical Center Better Serves Their Patients, Saves Money with ADR

July 08, 2009 17:01

Chatón T. Turner, assistant counsel at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, documents her experience with the Medical Center's mediation programs in Bringing Mediation In-House Is Cost-Effective in More Ways Than One (Legal Intelligencer, 6/25/2009). Five years ago, the hospital designed...

Forbes Articles Defend Securities Arbitration

July 08, 2009 12:58

Amidst a sea of articles about securities arbitration, Kevin Carroll and Seth E. Lipner, each in June Forbes articles (Arbitration Works, 6/17/2009 and Should Securities Arbitration Be Mandatory?, 6/29/2009 , respectively), defend arbitration for the resolution of securities industry disputes...

5 Reasons Why We Need to Mediate Environmental Conflicts, By Kenneth Cloke

July 07, 2009 13:30

This post is part of our "Top 5 Tuesdays" series.We are pleased to share the following post by Kenneth Cloke, President of Mediators Beyond Borders. Mr. Cloke, pictured at right, shares 5 reasons why he thinks mediators are needed to resolve environmental issues:5 Reasons Why We Need to Mediate...

Guidelines for Discovery in Domestic Commercial Arbitration

July 06, 2009 15:37

Begins a new arbitration report issued by the New York State Bar Association (Report on Arbitration Discovery in Domestic Commercial Cases, June 2009):Arbitration has been in use for millennia, and has long been on the scene in the United States. George Washington’s will had an arbitration clause,...