PGP Mediation

Be Happy

Phyllis — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:30:26 +0000

As this is my last blog for the year, I want to end 2008 on a light and happy note . . . which brings to mind a recent study on happiness. New research (recently published in the British Medical Journal) indicates that happiness is contagious: “. . . in a social network, happiness [...]

BEWARE OF THE 1099!

Phyllis — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:00:58 +0000

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog on whether settlement monies constitute taxable income under the Internal Revenue Code. By happenstance, this month’s edition of the California Lawyer, (Vol. 28, No. 12, December 2008) contains an article written by Ruth N. Holzman and Terry B. Bates entitled “Tax Reporting After Settlement.” [...]

EVEN DOGS WANT “FAIRNESS”

Phyllis — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:00:45 +0000

This week’s blog returns to a familiar theme: Fairness. Why? I am a dog lover (see below) and so can’t resist reading any article involving dogs. ( My dog, Argus ) Well, it seems that like the capuchin monkeys, dogs have an innate sense of fairness. In an article entitled “Studies Show Dogs Have [...]

SETTLEMENT AND TAXES: MUST I PAY FOR DANCING?

Phyllis — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:00:12 +0000

To prepare for mediation, many parties review the strengths and weaknesses of their cases, the costs to prosecute or defend a dispute in relation to amounts they are willing to pay or accept in settlement, and otherwise their Best Alternatives To A Negotiated Agreement or BATNA. But how many think about taxes? Last week, [...]

THE ENDOWMENT EFFECT AND THANKSGIVING

Phyllis — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:22:37 +0000

I am reading an interesting book, The Science of Settlement by Barry Goldman, MA, JD (ALIABA 2008). In it he discusses how to prepare for and effectively bargain during a negotiation. Towards this end, Mr. Goldman discusses a lot of different psychological and/or economic principles. One is the “endowment effect” (which I have discussed [...]