Somehow, several years ago, I got on the mailing list for The Indian Arbitrator which is the "News Magazine of the Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation." Its articles do not focus solely on developments in India but actually on things occurring throughout the world. The January 2013 issue (Volume [Read More]
While I was busy mediating cases in 2012, our California legislature was busy passing more than 800 laws. While some of them clearly make sense, I wonder which special interest groups were at work to get some of the more arcane measures passed. As a previous litigator, I am always [Read More]
Recently, my colleague, Maria Simpson, Ph.D., in her Two Minute Training blog discussed the mechanics of the conflict resolution process. That is, going through the steps in the process in the right order or somewhat the right order so that a resolution can indeed be reached. By using the guidelines [Read More]
It is often said that to resolve disputes, the respective needs and interests of each party must be met. Indeed, this is the thesis of Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury, the seminal book on negotiation strategy and resolving conflicts. Although the parties did not set out to do [Read More]
Recently, I posted a blog on the timing of mediation, noting that sometimes a mediation occurs early in the life of a case and before all of the preparatory work has been done resulting in the parties realizing that more discovery is required to reach a compromise. I noted that [Read More]
Recently, someone asked me, "When should I mediate my dispute? Should I wait until the lawsuit is filed? Should I wait until depositions are taken or motions for summary judgment are filed and/or heard? When IS a good time to mediate?" To me, it is always a good time to [Read More]
On November 3, 2012, the Southern California Mediation Association held its annual conference. I was asked to address two important points to mediators who are NOT attorneys as part of a Los Angeles County Superior Court approved program for non- attorneys who wish to be on its panel of mediators. [Read More]
Very soon, it will be Thanksgiving. Reflecting on this, I decided to do some research and came upon an article printed last year in the Huffington Post about giving thanks. The article by Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press, entitled, "Why Giving Thanks Is Good for the Psyche" discusses the [Read More]
