DOJ frowns on settling disputes on live TV

The Justice department through the Office of the Alternative Dispute Resolution on Wednesday cautioned warring parties against the settlement of their disputes through live television programs.

OADR Executive Director Irene Alogoc said confidentiality in settling issues out of court was necessary.

“I think we would not recommend such television programs because our number one consideration if you go to ADR is the confidentiality of it all,” Alogoc said during the virtual press conference for the coming first-ever national alternative dispute resolution convention scheduled on Dec. 2 to 4.

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Dispute Boards: An Approach to the Efficient Resolution of Disputes in the Construction Sector

Imagine a complicated engineering and construction project that has lasted years and has already cost hundreds of millions of dollars. During the project, the contractor submitted dozens of claims for additional time and money – all of which the project’s owner has rejected. Amid mounting costs, claims from various subcontractors and suppliers boiling to the surface, and the threat of liquidated damages or even termination of the project, the contractor proceeds without receiving any relief from the owner. Although the parties have tried to resolve their disputes through negotiation and even mediation, they have not been able to reach an acceptable settlement. The contractor says it has incurred significant costs to perform the work and feels it is essentially funding the owner’s changes to the project. The owner, however, says the disputed issues are the contractor’s, not the owner’s risk. Accordingly, without a dispute resolution mechanism in place to resolve these disputes in real time, the costs continue to mount, and the prospect of a lengthy, expensive, and protracted arbitration or litigation looms.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Family Mediation

Is mediation suitable for everyone?

Mediation will often help in situations where communication is not working well, or where you and your ex could be open to exploring options about how to reach an outcome that will work for everyone, but you may be finding it hard to identify options and discussions don’t turn out well when it’s just the two of you talking it through.

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Virtual Mediations – What to Expect

MEDIATION can be a great option for resolving your ICBC claim. The goal of mediation is to bring the parties together—including an ICBC representative—to discuss the issues and try to reach settlement, with the guidance of a neutral mediator. Traditionally, “bringing the parties together” meant that everyone was physically in the same room. The technology for virtual mediation has existed for some time, but many ICBC claim lawyers were concerned that the mediation process would lose its effectiveness if not done face-to-face. The COVID-19 pandemic forced parties to embrace the use of technology and may have forever changed the way personal injury claims are handled.

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What Leaders Need To Know About Bullying In The Remote Workplace

A manager stares impatiently at an empty Zoom screen and thinks: “Late again for our catch up. Typical! And why haven’t they provided the information I requested? Working remotely makes it easier for them to avoid me.” The line report hovers over the ‘join meeting’ icon, with an impending sense of doom. “I can’t face this today. I am going to be undermined and disrespected…again. Such unrealistic expectations. My manager is a bully and wants me out!”

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The first-ever digital 18th ICC Miami Conference on International Arbitration

The long-standing event, which this year was held online due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, has grown significantly since it launched 18 years ago and is an unmissable event in the international arbitration calendar, not only in Latin America, but in the US and Europe.

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How Simple Mediation Skills Can Bring Peace After The Election

Regardless of who you supported during the 2020 election, it’s inevitable that you’ll hear, see, or experience the increased emotionality brought about by our current political climate, especially during the holiday season.

Understanding that emotions — both good and bad — will be high, it’s important to know how to keep the peace.

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Virtual Mediations – What to Expect

MEDIATION can be a great option for resolving your ICBC claim. The goal of mediation is to bring the parties together—including an ICBC representative—to discuss the issues and try to reach settlement, with the guidance of a neutral mediator. Traditionally, “bringing the parties together” meant that everyone was physically in the same room. The technology for virtual mediation has existed for some time, but many ICBC claim lawyers were concerned that the mediation process would lose its effectiveness if not done face-to-face. The COVID-19 pandemic forced parties to embrace the use of technology and may have forever changed the way personal injury claims are handled.

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Resolving conflict in the workplace

Conflict in life is unavoidable. It could be said that it is part of human nature.

However, conflict in the workplace can put an additional strain on what may already be a stress-filled situation. With upward of one-third of any given day spent in the workplace, it’s always beneficial to have a place of employment that you don’t dread going to each morning because of intraoffice strife – be it between a manager and an employee or between co-workers.

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CAN MEDIATION MAKE DIVORCE EASIER ON CHILDREN

As difficult as a divorce can be for a married couple, it can be just as upsetting and confusing for a child. Parents tend to want what is best for their children and are apprehensive about the effects a potentially long, drawn out court battle can have on the family. One alternative to divorce that some families find success with is divorce mediation. Through mediation, you can often talk through each aspect of your divorce agreement without needing to take things to court or work with multiple lawyers.

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Virtual Mediations Are Fairly Effective

As numerous people within the legal profession know from firsthand experience, many court conferences, depositions, and mediations have been occurring remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have attended court conferences and depositions virtually throughout my career, since clients sometimes do not wish to pay travel time for such proceedings, and courts often permitted counsel to appear by remote means before the pandemic. However, I never participated in a virtual mediation prior to the pandemic, and I was extremely skeptical that they could be effective. Nevertheless, recent experiences have shown me that virtual mediations can be fruitful in the right circumstances.

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Room for Opportunities – The Power of #Networked

I recently came across a meme that said, “Surround yourself with women who would mention your name in a room full of opportunities.” The quote (which was not attributed to anyone) struck me, because without hesitation I pictured a beautifully decorated banquet hall, overflowing with food and drink, and filled with the group of fifty women lawyers that have supported me throughout the pandemic.

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Mediation myths debunked

Mediation is something that has been used more frequently by lawyers as a means of resolving disputes without needing to enter the courtroom. There remains an impression of litigation as an area of law that is inherently adversarial, centred around a duel over right and wrong with your legal opponent on the courtroom battlefield. However, the reality is that most commercial litigation disputes are far more emotionally charged and complex than people think, and a gentler touch may yield better results.

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Tenants and landlords in Spokane County can access a mediator and rental assistance before the eviction moratorium ends

The end of 2020 is looming as the end of forgiveness for tenants who owe back rent to landlords, and court officials are pushing mediation to avoid a litigation logjam.

Spokane is one of six counties statewide that are part of a pilot program intended to get tenants and landlords to start talking about possible solutions to unpaid rent during eviction moratorium expiring Dec. 31. Two firms in Spokane County have received federal assistance funds to promote mediation for the estimated hundreds of renters who might otherwise be taken to court due to unpaid rent.

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Govt pushes for dispute resolution panel to resolve oil, gas wrangles

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) With an overhang of disputes choking investments in the oil and gas sector, the government is pushing for contractual wrangles being sent to an expert committee for time-bound resolution but the move has found few takers due to inherent conflict of interest in such a process, sources said.

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Conflict Management

Workplace conflict is inevitable when employees of various backgrounds and different work styles are brought together for a shared business purpose. Conflict can—and should—be managed and resolved.

Conflict management is the process for handling disputes and disagreements between two or multiple parties. The goal of this system is to minimize the negative factors that are influencing the conflict and encourage all participants to come to an agreement. Successful conflict management results in a mutually beneficial outcome that’s agreed upon by each party.

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Newly Revised ICC Arbitration Rules

On October 6, 2020, the Executive Board of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) approved the revised ICC Rules of Arbitration (the “2021 ICC Rules”), which will replace the ICC Rules issued in March 2017. The 2021 ICC Rules will enter into force on January 1, 2021 and will define and regulate the management of cases submitted to the ICC International Court of Arbitration (the “ICC Court”) from that date. The 2017 ICC Rules will continue to apply for all cases registered with the ICC Court before January 1, 2021.

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Nova Scotia’s eCourt platform is first online judicial dispute resolution service in Canada

Nova Scotia’s eCourt recently launched online dispute resolution pilot program enables counsel for both parties and the judge to communicate in real time.

The pilot program, which went live in July, aims to allow those with simple family legal issues, such as divorce, child custody, spousal support or child support, to more simply, safely, easily and affordably access the courts to resolve these matters, stated the news release from the Nova Scotia government.

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Gov't looking to strengthen use of mediation and restorative justice

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says the Government is looking to strengthen the use of mediation and restorative justice to settle minor and in some cases complex matters without going to court.

Work is underway to draft the Mediation Act as well as update the Restorative Justice Act.

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Successfully arbitrating disputes

While the UAE provides some of the best and the most lucrative business opportunities to entrepreneurs all over the world, such opportunities come with their own set of disputes between employees, competitors and other corporate entities. Usually, mediation and negotiation techniques help in such matters. However, in disputes where mediation and negotiation techniques do not work, arbitration is often the most effective option being one of the less expensive ways to settle a dispute between parties.

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