Recently, I posted a blog about some of the ethical issues that might arise in mediating online using a video conferencing service. While I raised several issues, I did not address how to respond to the issues. The myriad of scholars in the Online Dispute Resolution Field have done so. [Read More]
Originally published in Law360, April 9, 2019 Typically, if a matter settles at mediation, the parties will enter into a settlement agreement then and there to ensure that the matter has indeed settled; there will be no buyer’s remorse or change of mind the next morning. Often included are provisions [Read More]
Informed Consent in Mediations Taking Place in California Originally published in the Daily Journal, September 28, 2018. Download the PDF Version of the Article Here Sometimes parties attend mediation without the proper preparation. If the matter is in litigation, their attorney may not have met with them beforehand to [Read More]
Where we stand on mediation confidentiality, both in California since the Cassel decision and in the Ninth Circuit Originally published in The Advocate, August 2016 Issue. Download the PDF Version of the Article Here (PDF, 250Kb) Phyllis Pollack. Photograph by Jonah Light During the past year, there [Read More]
Two developments occurred regarding mediation confidentiality during the first week of February. First, on Monday, February 1, 2016, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in Craig Milhouse v. Travelers Commercial Insurance, Case Nos. 13-56959 and 13-57029. Dr. and Mrs. Milhouse suffered the total loss of their home [Read More]
Depending upon where one mediates within the United States, the mediator either will start the mediation with a joint session or will simply start with separate sessions so that the adverse parties may, indeed, never see each other. For some reason, using joint sessions is popular on the east coast [Read More]
Mediators find more tools through neuroscience By Susan Kostal - ABA Journal Phyllis Pollack. Photograph by Jonah Light Mediators and other practitioners of alternative dispute resolution are using information gleaned from the research of world-class neuroscientists to calm emotions and help mediations resolve more easily. With the advent [Read More]
Several weeks ago, I posted a blog about the proposals voted on by the California Law Revision Commission to make certain changes to mediation confidentiality in California. At its August 8, 2015 meeting, the Commission proposed creating several exceptions to mediation confidentiality that would allow; (1) Both lawyers representing clients [Read More]
