The 30/30 Piece on Mediation Advocacy
When I was a young associate and handling mediations on my own, I really didn’t get it. I mediated too late in the life of the case. I had no relationship with opposing counsel. Mediation advocacy is a lot like sex – for most people you sort of figure it out as you go...
The Road to Uncovering the Hidden Truth in Mediation
If I have reasonably competent lawyers with equally motivated clients with access to the same information (and those are not trivial caveats), isn’t it fair to believe they will be looking at the same playing field albeit from different sides? Isn’t it reasonable to...
Attendance Rules at Mediation and Other Oddities
Few topics engender debate more than the issue of proper attendance at mediation. Even mediators do not agree on the rules and willingly tolerate a breach or some bad practice. There is a fair amount of problematic behavior largely arising from good intentions but...
An Open Letter to Judges in Florida: Why Non-Binding Arbitration Stinks and the Role of Early Mediation in Dispute Resolution
The passage of the Florida Mediation Confidentiality and Privilege Act in 1985 (§44.401 et. seq.) and the adoption of new rules of civil procedure in 1987 governing mediation changed the landscape of dispute resolution in Florida. Mediation became a fixture in the...
The Mediator’s Wish List
Now that the holiday season is in full swing, you are probably seeking holiday gift-giving lists. Most mediators want the same thing. Here is a list of things most mediators would like to receive in case you are still shopping for the holidays. Mediators would like...
Happy Thanksgiving: A Message to Lawyers Young and Not So Young
Recently I spoke to the Young Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar and the presentation was "Ten Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me 30 Years Ago." This article flows from that presentation. Balancing work, family, personal interests, fitness, and other...
The Next Big Thing: Improving Civil Mediation Practice and the Case for Mediation Optimization Orders
Regardless of your civil litigation practice area, your clients face difficulty getting the case to trial. Administrative orders are abundant in efforts to address the COVID-related backlog. Mediation is an obvious exit ramp on the crowed interstate of civil...
Improving the Bottom Line Through Mediation Advocacy
This month’s article is an introduction to a larger seminar to be offered in the fall on the topic of promoting mediation advocacy to attract and retain clients, and to strengthen attorney-client relationships. How so, you ask? Consider this question: How does an...
Revisiting Mediation Provisions Within Federal Court Case Management Scheduling Orders
The extent to which federal courts are expected to follow state law has always been one of my intellectual interests. In federal court, the case management scheduling order will include directives related to mediation. There are differences between state courts and...
Giving to the Givers: A Word About Not-for-Profit Charitable Organizations
I want to discuss non-profits in the context of mediation, and also stress the need to donate now to charitable organizations. They were crushed by COVID-19. Not-for-profits frequently gather a significant portion of the operating budget from sponsored events and...
Henry’s Ten Dirty Words You Can’t Say During Mediation
As stated in my engagement letter for mediation, I encourage parties to share position statements or letters before mediation begins. These are not intended for me, but more so for the disputants. The premediation letters should be written for the eyes of the “other”...
Surveys Can Prove Anything, Even the Truth: A Review of Online Mediation
I conducted an informal survey of mediators who belong to the Executive Council of the ADR Section of the Florida Bar asking them two questions. What percentage of mediations are you conducting remotely, and as a percentage of effectiveness how would you rate online...
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