Whats' New
La Comisión Norteamericana para la Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo: Informe sobre el programa de mediación de la oficina del distrito de San Antonio (11/21/08)
Walter A. Wright
En 1991, la Comisión inició un programa piloto para resolver algunas de las acusaciones a través de la mediación. Debido al éxito del programa piloto, desde 1995 la Comisión ha mantenido una política que alienta la utilización de la mediación voluntaria en todas sus oficinas de distrito.
The Obama Presidency and the Future of the Conflict Management Business: The Mediative Leader and the Activist Mediator (11/05/08)
Robert Benjamin
While premature to presume, there is cause to believe, or at least to hope, based on the model of his presidential campaign that the leadership style and governance of President-Elect Barack Obama will be a boon to conflict management practice and a valuable endorsement of mediation.
Litigios colectivos de trabajo en Polonia y los métodos para resolverlos (10/12/08)
Anna M. Wróbel
En la República Popular de Polonia los sindicatos estaban controlados por las autoridades. Los sindicatos libres emergentes eran ilegales en el sistema legal vigente, y no será hasta 1980 cuando tras numerosas huelgas laborales las autoridades concedieron legalizar a unos sindicatos.
Widespread Adoption of Mediation Programs Reducing Litigation Costs (9/23/08)
Keith Seat
Large companies, insurers, government agencies and courts are all moving towards greater reliance on mediation. For example, Toro Co. has resolved 1,400 products liability claims since launching its mediation program in the early 1990s, and has not taken a case to trial since 1994, resulting in a drop in total costs per claim from $115,000 to $43,000. About two-thirds of the Toro claims are resolved directly by claims coordinators, with the remaining third being resolved in mediation. Similarly, after Hurricane Katrina, Zurich Insurance created a new Alternative Dispute Resolution program with a multi-step process that moved from direct negotiation between the insurance representative and policyholder, to mediation, and finally binding arbitration. Out of 20,000 claims against Zurich, 98% have been resolved, with only about 100 reaching and being settled through mediation, and none going to arbitration. Zurich may make its ADR process permanent. While courts are increasingly requiring mediation, some court programs are seeing a decrease in settlements, which is attributed to litigants going directly to private mediators or seeking mediation prior to filing suit.
Chicago Lawyer (July 9, 2008) (Subscription Required)
Connecticut Offers Mediation of Eminent Domain Disputes (9/23/08)
Keith Seat
New regulations adopted by the Connecticut Office of Ombudsman for Property Rights provide that mediation can be requested by property owners dissatisfied with the compensation offered in eminent domain proceedings or by occupants concerned about the assistance offered when forced to move due to eminent domain. The Ombudsman determines whether or not to grant a mediation request, and if granted, public agencies may be required to cooperate and participate in the mediation.
RegAlert (July 8, 2008) (Subscription Required)
Detailed Mediation Agreement Flips City Council on Commercial Development (9/23/08)
Keith Seat
After a 74-acre commercial project was blocked by the Columbia (MO) City Council, the developer entered into mediation with two neighborhood associations and, after nearly a month of negotiations, agreed to add a layer of restrictions on the development, which was sufficient to obtain City Council approval. The developer concluded that the mediation process improved plans for the development, but one of the neighborhood association leaders expressed frustration by the confidentiality of the mediation process when dealing with community issues.
Columbia Daily Tribune (August 19, 2008); Columbia Daily Tribune (August 17, 2008); Columbia Daily Tribune(July 11, 2008) (Subscription Required)
Mediators on a Mission (9/09/08)
Anne Parys
Two Pittsburgh attorneys use their skills as mediators to help Liberian refugees and former child soldiers.
Rompiendo paradigmas del sistema juridico guatamalteco (9/07/08)
Waldemar Zetina Castellanos
La disyuntiva existente en el ámbito jurídico guatemalteco consiste en asumir, si todo conflicto donde exista litis deba con exclusividad ser tratado en un proceso judicial o si por el contrario se permita la posibilidad de utilizar el procedimiento de la mediación como alternativa para la resolución de conflictos, instancia que permite economía de tiempo, voluntad manifiesta de las partes, entendimiento y uso del diálogo para llegar a acuerdos...
Settlements in Katrina Mediations Withstand Attack (8/27/08)
Keith Seat
A federal court upheld the “plain meaning” of settlements reached in the Mississippi hurricane mediation program which released any and all Katrina claims except for subsequent discovery of “additional insured damage.” The Scruggs Katrina Group filed some 200 nearly identical complaints alleging a conspiracy of fraud and bad faith that it asserted as grounds for additional insured damages. The court, however, found that the phrase could only mean additional property damage, but left open the record in case plaintiff’s new substitute counsel wished to submit affidavits showing newly discovered property damage.
Boyd v. State Farm, No. 1:07CV820 (S.D. Miss., Aug. 6, 2008)
The World is Looking to Obama — and America (7/16/08)
Anna Spain
Despite all the media coverage of the national election campaign, most Americans probably don't realize how captivated foreigners are by Barack Obama, let alone understand why.
Michigan Law Establishes Mediation of Property Tax Disputes (7/16/08)
Keith Seat
New Michigan legislation authorizes the Michigan Tax Tribunal to mediate appeals of agency decisions, if the parties agree to mediation and select a certified mediator. The Tribunal will establish a process for creating a roster of certified mediators, who must have five years of tax experience in the previous seven years. The Tribunal may charge mediators an annual certification fee, as well as charging parties a fee for mediation. Mediators must disclose their rates and experience to parties, and report the results of mediations to the Tribunal.
Michigan H. 4433 (Enacted May 8, 2008)
Centro de justicia alternativa de la ciudad de México: testimonios de un curso alternativo sobre mediación (7/16/08)
Luis Miguel Diaz
Esta composición es un testimonio colectivo de quienes participamos en el curso Nuevas Tendencias en Mediación, diseñado para el Centro de Justicia Alternativa del Tribunal Superior de Justicia del Distrito Federal (CJA) bajo la orientación del Centro Interdisciplinario para el Manejo de Conflictos AC (CIMC), y que tuvo lugar en abril de 2008.
Thoughts on Mediation, Barack Obama, and Our Political Future (5/27/08)
Kenneth Cloke
The emergence of Barack Obama as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, and thus for the Presidency of the United States, presents us with unprecedented opportunities to influence global dispute resolution strategies and shift the prevailing paradigm of adversarial politics and diplomacy.
California Legislation Would Require Mediation of Public Works Disputes (5/21/08)
Keith Seat
Pending California legislation would require mediation at the option of the claimant for disputes of $50,000 or more arising from public works contracts involving local agencies, cities and counties, followed by binding arbitration if mediation is not fully successful, unless another dispute resolution process was provided in the contract. If the parties are unable to agree on the mediator or arbitrator, the legislation mandates selection through the American Arbitration Association. If litigation is required to enforce the provisions, the legislation provides attorneys’ fees and costs to the prevailing party.
California S.B. 1642 (April 3, 2008)
Review of Eye of the Storm Leadership by Peter Adler (4/21/08)
John Sautelle
If you want a thought-provoking, engaging and at times inspirational read then this is the book for you! As it turns out, this book is not about leadership generally – it focuses specifically on leadership in the context of conflict.
Eye of the Storm Leadership - Chapter One (4/01/08)
Peter Adler
Peter Adler is pleased to here provide Chapter One of his new book "Eye of the Storm Leadership." This chapter is entitled: Guerilla Bridge Building and includes free access to the accompanying video.
Ten Questions on Leadership for Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama (3/24/08)
Peter Adler
The U.S. presidential run-up is a time to think about politics, conflict and leadership. The collective challenges we face -- balancing freedom and security, maintaining economic and environmental sustainability, educating our young people, and assuring the health of those who cannot take care of themselves -- crisscross all sorts of historic borders, jurisdictions, and purviews. Making headway on these challenges will necessarily be a team sport.
How will Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama approach them? Imagine for a moment that we could engage all three candidates in an extended dialogue that goes beyond the sound bites and platform promises we have grown too accustomed to. Here is what I would ask:
Barack Obama’s Speech on Race (3/19/08)
Barack Obama
We find Barack Obama's speech on race to be a top flight example of the kind of mature consideration our most divisive issues deserve and need. We here present the text of Senator Barack Obama’s speech on race in Philadelphia.
IRS and State Agency Successfully Mediate Tax-Exempt Status of Bonds (3/18/08)
Keith Seat
Using an Internal Revenue Service mediation program, the Rockdale County, Georgia Development Authority reached a settlement with the IRS in order to maintain the tax-exempt status of $77 million of solid-waste disposal revenue bonds. Under the rarely-used IRS tax-exempt bond mediation program, an IRS employee with no previous involvement in the case acts as mediator, and a private co-mediator may be included at the option of the parties, as was done in this matter. The IRS mediation program was begun in 2003 and renewed last year.
The Bond Buyer and SourceMedia, Inc., (Georgia) (February 15, 2008) (Subscription Required)
Federal Circuit Mediation Program Impresses (3/18/08)
Keith Seat
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was the last federal appellate court to begin a mediation program, but in just two years is showing results in line with other circuit programs, despite the complexity of its specialized docket, which includes patent appeals. Last year the Federal Circuit’s mediation program resolved 42% of the cases mediated.
The National Law Journal (February 11, 2008) (Subscription Required)
Introduction to Eye of the Storm Leadership (3/17/08)
Peter Adler
In the vast galaxy of leadership practices, the 150 ideas that follow focus on making deals, brokering agreements, and managing the inevitable conflicts that occur in politically charged circumstances. They are about communication, negotiation, problem solving, and “guerilla peace making.” The premise is simple and was best stated by philosopher, psychologist, and educator John Dewey: “Conflict is the gadfly of thought. It stirs us to observation and memory. It instigates to invention. It shocks us out of sheep-like passivity and sets us at noting and contriving."
Primer decenio de la conciliacion extrajudicial en el Peru, problemas y propuestas de cambio (2/26/08)
Rafael Gonzalo Medina Rospigliosi
La conciliación extrajudicial es un medio de solución de conflictos, por el cual un tercero neutral e imparcial denominado Conciliador Extrajudicial asiste a las partes a encontrar su propia solución a sus conflictos que es mas humana, saludable, justa, durable, mutuamente satisfactoria y con el mismo valor de sentencia inapelable, es una poderosa herramienta de tercera generación para solucionar conflictos.
Obama’s Message - Mediation’s Political Triumph (2/25/08)
James Melamed
Presidential candidate Barack Obama's main political message represents the absorption of the mediation movement's essential themes at the highest level of national and global politics. This is an accomplishment that should not go unnoticed and one that all mediators, whatever our political leanings, should take great pride in. Obama's candidacy is mediative consciousness' coming out party. Could it be that our work is finally paying off, not only in terms of "miracles in the mediation room," but also in terms of truly improving the way we as humans operate on planet earth? I think so. We are experiencing a popular paradigm shift right before our eyes and mediators and mediative thought are largely responsible.
Wonks, Shamans, Warriors, Dealmakers & The Protean Leader (2/20/08)
Robert Benjamin
History may record the current presidential campaign as a turning point in how we think about leadership, choose a leader, and approach complex issues and difficult conflicts in the Twenty-First Century. The candidates present an interesting juxtaposition of leadership styles that is seldom so apparent. John McCain is the classic warrior, Hillary Clinton is the pragmatic, technical, problem-solving wonk, and Barack Obama has cornered the role of the moral/inspirational shaman.
La Mediación en España (1/16/08)
Franco Conforti
No han sido pocos los e-mail recibidos de colegas interesándose por la situación de La Mediación y la salida laboral que tiene el Mediador en España y más concretamente en la Comunidad Valenciana. He recapitulado la información disponible al respecto y he decidido escribir este artículo a título informativo.
