Early mediation leads to better outcomes, study says

A new study from researchers at Singapore Management University (SMU) has identified three factors that influence the likelihood of a case being settled through mediation. According to the study, the courts should consider the timing of referral, the stage of litigation and the level of contentiousness when deciding whether or not to refer to mediation. read

Parkridge mediation effort begins

Office of Neighborhoods Director Debbie Sharp called the service “Knoxville’s best kept secret.” She was speaking to a group of Parkridge neighborhood residents last week at the O’Connor Senior Center about the Community Mediation Center. read

Meister, Village agree to enter into mediation

The Village of Yellow Springs has agreed to enter into mediation with Yellow Springs Police Corporal Dave Meister, according to Village Solicitor Chris Conard this week, regarding a dispute over proposed disciplinary actions that has lasted more than a month. read

Young jury trial postponed; prosecutor hoping mediation works

The trial for Victorya Paige Young, one of five co-defendants in the Jared Banta murder case, set for Monday morning in Franklin County Circuit Court was postponed. According to prosecutor Ronnie Goldy, the jury trial was postponed in the hope that criminal mediation with Young, an alleged witness to the robbery and shooting death of the 21-year-old Pizza Hut employee, will lead to a plea agreement. read

Bob Buckley: Mediation can be helpful in many cases

Lawyers call it alternative dispute resolution. Many of us who practice in civil litigation consider it an assault on the right to trial by jury. Mediation and arbitration are the primary methods of alternative dispute resolution. Mediations are useful and do not constitute an assault on the constitutional right to trial by jury, but arbitration in many instances is. read

Shanghai mediators take heat out of disputes

The Shanghai Justice Bureau has honored 200 individuals and 100 organizations for their contributions to mediating conflicts between local residents. Mediation has become an effective channel in solving family and neighbor disputes that might otherwise end up in court, The city now has 27,000 mediators, including more than 8,700 working full time. They have resolved more than 1.5 million disputes. read

Ryanair pilots agree to third-party mediation

Ryanair pilots who have been staging a series of strikes have accepted the airline's proposal for mediation. read

Good Faith Negotiations at Mediation

I have seen many good faith negotiations sabotaged by parties using a variety of bad faith negotiation tactics, many of which are repeated all too often and can ultimately prevent a settlement. read

City, county and UCD headed to mediation over LRDP

The city of Davis and Yolo County have agreed to participate in mediation with UC Davis with the goal of resolving concerns over the campus’ recently approved long-range development plan and its environmental impact report. read

Portsmouth chief’s assault case going to mediation

Six weeks after a judge allowed an assault and battery allegation against Police Chief Robert Merner to proceed to trial, lawyers for Merner and the couple suing him have agreed to try and mediate the case. read

NRA spokeswoman Marion Hammer sues over threats, demands in excess of $1 million

Marion Hammer, the longtime voice of the NRA in Florida and one of the most influential gun lobbyists in the nation, is demanding in excess of $1 million in a suit for injuries and damages filed Friday in federal court in Tallahassee. Hammer, 79, claims California mediator Lol Sorensen and others crossed the line when they called her profanity-laced names that cannot be printed here. read

Updated WIPO Guide On Alternative Dispute Resolution A Tool For IP Offices

The World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center has released an updated guide providing an overview of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes for intellectual property disputes. read

‘What goes on behind closed doors…’

One of the great strengths behind mediation, whether conducted before the issue of proceedings or after, is that it allows the parties to have frank discussions about their dispute. The law protects the secrecy of those discussions by two methods. read

Rachel Viscomi named director of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program

Rachel A. Viscomi has been appointed assistant clinical professor of law at Harvard Law School and named director of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP). She was formerly a lecturer on law at HLS and the acting director of HNMCP. read

Why Hostility Can Bring People Closer Together

Surprisingly, however, new research that my colleagues and I conducted suggests that, to effectively help people resolve their conflicts, mediators should adopt a hostile attitude rather than a calming one. A hostile mediator, we find, induces better results than a nice one. read

When Matrimonial Attorneys Become Divorce Mediators

Many matrimonial attorneys will take on divorce mediation cases and agree to act in the capacity of divorce mediator. Sometimes, the attorneys are trained and experienced in divorce mediation, whereas other times they are not. The results will vary based on the mediator’s understanding of how divorce mediation should be conducted. read

Wanted: mediator to end America's longest war

Afghanistan has lately seen many countries seeking a role in starting a peace process. With the US now open to talks with the Taliban, such negotiations will need a third party well versed in the skills of conflict resolution. read

The Town of Huntington entered into a mediation agreement this week to resolve litigation surrounding the Northport power plant.

Officials said the town has entered into the non-binding mediation agreement with Marty Scheinman, an attorney whose Port Washington-based firm offers high-profile arbitration and mediation services. read

Mediation Perspectives: Women Mediators' Networks

This article explores the reasons for the growth of women mediators’ networks, and attempts a tentative analysis of where we stand in order to provide ideas for future efforts. read

United Nation treaty on business mediation to be named after Singapore

For the first time, a United Nations treaty will be named after Singapore. The Singapore Convention on Mediation, an agreement covering corporate contract law, is set to be signed right here in August of 2019. read

Tyler pro-school-name-change group asks for mediation with opposition groups

TYLER, TX - The group in favor of changing the name of Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler released a statement on Monday, asking for mediation to take place to help groups on both sides of the issue "reach mutual understanding, or at least commit to civil engagement in the public square." read

With execution looming, victim's son meets his father's murderer

Mitesh Patel, whose story of forgiveness and activism has received national attention, met his father’s murderer in mediation Monday, the day before the man is to be executed. read

Police officers learn more on mediation

The Toronto Police Department is hosting a one week Community Mediation Training for seventy police officers. Officers from the ranks of Inspectors to constables are taking the training. read

Johnny Depp Settles Blockbuster Lawsuit Against Business Managers in Mediation

About a month away from a trial that would have captivated the entertainment industry, Johnny Depp has settled his blockbuster lawsuit against his former business managers. The deal was made Saturday at a mediation session. read

Mediation best way to avert global trade war

Given the escalating situation it would be ideal for the WTO to intervene as it has a defined dispute resolution mechanism that may be adjudicative or reconciliatory. read

Mediation results in plea in murder case; Smith admits guilt, claims mental illness

GLASGOW – The man who has now pleaded “guilty but mentally ill” to three charges, including that he killed Barren County resident Kristen Rae Edwards two years ago, is expected to have to serve at least another 18 years' imprisonment. The plea followed a mediation session last week. read

Commercial Mediation Market shoots up with 20% growth

The key finding from the 2018 CEDR Mediation Audit for the UK is that 12,000 commercial mediations (excluding small claims mediations) were performed in the last 12 months, an increase of 20% on 2016. read

Safe Streets' Violence Interrupters Work To Mediate Conflict

Baltimore City's Safe Streets program operates with violence interrupters -- people who try to help others resolve conflict without picking up guns. read

Muslim Personal Law Board To Expand Sharia Courts All Over India To Mediate On Family Disputes

All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), India’s highest decision-making body on Muslim affairs has planned to open Darul-Qaza or Sharia courts in all the districts of the country. He further added that the board is also of the view that the increased number of these Sharia courts will encourage people to approach them for disputes arising out of family and property matters. read

The plan you never want to make: How to prepare for a divorce

You might ask, “Who would ever plan for a divorce?” While no one plans to divorce, the fact is that the divorce rate in the United States is about 50%, which translates to about 2 million divorces annually. Here are the top 10 things to consider before filing for divorce. read

Give Rambo the Shell Love Bug, end the legal spat

Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann says it's time to give Pam Rambo the Shell Love Bug car, pay her legal bills and end contentious litigation over an artifact created to promote county beaches. read

Film Fest Heads To Mediation Over Lawsuit

The Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) is heading into mediation proceedings with a vendor that is suing the festival over a $159,055 unpaid bill from 2017's event. read

Israeli former PM to serve as weapon deal dispute mediator

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was released a year ago from jail, has been hired as a mediator in weapon deals dispute, the Israeli financial website "Globes" revealed Monday. read

`Rest of River' towns will join mediation on cleanup

The five-town Rest of River Municipal Committee plans to take part in efforts to mediate a solution to the impasse over cleanup of probable cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. read

Case of woodworker vs. WGBH moves to pretrial mediation

The legal fight between the former host of a public TV woodworking program and producer WGBH is headed to alternative dispute resolution. Thomas MacDonald hosted Rough Cut: Woodworking with Tommy Mac from 2010–16. WGBH declined to renew his contract and hired a host with a similar name, Tom McLaughlin, for a new season. read

Task force wants mediation to prevent evictions in Philadelphia

Mayor Jim Kenney is anxious to create a mediation process similar to the city’s mortgage foreclosure diversion program. That program, which grew out of the national foreclosure crisis, has been credited as model for keeping people in their homes despite financial trouble. read

Federal program boots some prisoner lawsuits to mediation

Detroit — Starting this week, certain Michigan prisoners representing themselves in federal civil rights lawsuits will be required to enter mediation almost as soon as their complaints are filed. read

Nine months after Evans is fired, Riviera council enters mediation over lawsuit

Nine months after he was fired without an explanation, Riviera Beach city council decided Wednesday to enter mediation with the former City Manager Jonathan Evans. read

Yellow Springs district, former teacher face mediation before trial

Yellow Springs Schools filed a civil suit against Bussey, claiming she disclosed details of the confidential agreement when she made comments in an online forum under the pseudonym “Gela May.” read

Lawmakers Approve Extending Foreclosure Mediation Law

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Lawmakers have approved a bill to extend an expiring law that keeps families in their homes to avoid foreclosure. read

6 steps for setting up an in-house dispute resolution system

Think about creating a program to help settle employee conflicts in-house. An alternative dispute-resolution program lets you identify and address problems while they’re still manageable and before they land in court. Here’s a six-step process for establishing an ADR program. read

Irish Country Women's Association election vote dispute goes to mediation

A High Court dispute arising out of an alleged failure to count votes in elections for positions on the national executive of the Irish Country Women's Association (ICA) has gone to mediation. read

UN chief calls for more mediation in "dangerous" world

The number of countries involved in "violent conflicts" is the highest in 30 years, while the number of people killed in conflicts has risen tenfold since 2005, the U.N. secretary-general said Tuesday. read

Brien McMahon student recognized for peer mediation

From a young age, Danny Robillard has been called mayor and senator Danny by his peers and adults alike. His leadership and collaborative spirit are what earned him such nicknames. read

Local Support for School Peer Mediation Program

The Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center announces that during the 2017-2018 school year, 188 fourth, fifth and sixth graders were trained by Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center on how to mediate disputes among students at Keonepoko, Mountain View and Volcano School of Arts & Sciences. read

Opening Statements In Mediation – Don't Pass Up The Opportunity

Some practitioners look to bypass opening statements in a Mediation session – operating under the belief that they have heard it all before and, therefore, the parties are better served by getting “right down to business.” read

Mediation: Another way to solve HOA disputes

Whether it is a dispute between homeowners, a homeowner against the HOA or between two HOAs, mediation can create win-win resolutions. read

Our View: Quick success in school mediation

This could have been a long, nasty war of attrition, taking a big toll on two of Cumberland County’s most important governing boards. Instead, it was over after one mediation session. read

7 Times Mediation Won't Work For A Broken Relationship (And You Should Just Get Divorced)

In some situations, mediation just may not be worth it.  Here are seven situations where mediation may not be the best choice. read

Bullying and sexual harassment: can mediation help?

Harassment and bullying remain significant workplace issues despite increasing awareness of the problem. Research has shown that over half of women have experienced sexual harassment at work, rising to two-thirds of women age 18-24 years old. read

Idea Exchange: Why Suffolk set up an in-house mediation service

In-house mediation is helping resolve differences early and reduce the use of formal grievance procedures. read