May 14, 2008
AFCC to Offer Child Custody and Parenting Coordination Training in Chicago - The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts is offering two training programs on child custody and parenting coordination in late June at the Loyola Law Center in Chicago. The programs are specifically designed for professionals who work with high-conflict families. The first, "Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Abuse, Alienation and Other Challenges," will be presented by Robin M. Deutsch from June 23-24. Joan B. Kelly will present the second program, "Parenting Coordination: Helping High-Conflict Parents Resolve Disputes," from June 25-26.
For more information, visit the AFCC web site.
April 2, 2008
Mediation a Key Component of Ohio Response to Foreclosure Crisis - The Ohio Supreme Court has distributed a model mediation program for home foreclosure cases to all state courts, in an effort to address the state's rising mortgage crisis. Pointing to an increase in foreclosure filings of more than 40 percent between 2003 and 2007, Chief Justice Thomas Moyer is encouraging all judges to use the program and adapt it to the needs of their communities. The model program, developed in February, was recently incorporated into Ohio's larger, state-run foreclosure prevention program, Save the Dream, which provides assistance to residents facing foreclosures.
For more information on the model mediation program, click here. For information on the Save the Dream Program, click here.
March 17, 2008
Delaware Superior Court Expands ADR Requirement for Civil Cases - The Delaware Superior Court has amended its court rules on ADR, making it mandatory for almost all civil cases to be referred to mediation, non-binding or binding arbitration, or neutral case assessment. Such referrals had previously been required for civil cases with monetary claims below $100,000. The amended rule, which went into effect in March, also simplifies the ADR process. For example, trial de novo fees and a 20-day deadline for appealing arbitration awards have both been eliminated in the new rule.
To read more, visit the Delaware State Courts' web site.
March 14, 2008
RSI Releases Fall/Winter 2007 Newsletter - The latest edition of RSI's newsletter, Analyzing the Alternatives, is now available online. The issue includes a feature on RSI's Statewide Mediation Access Project, in which RSI is working with courts, legal services and other groups to develop mediation services to meet the needs of poor and low-income litigants. The issue also highlights the recently launched Court ADR Resource Center, at CourtADR.org.
To read the Fall/Winter 2007 newsletter, click here.
March 12, 2008
Uniform Mediation Act Adopted in Idaho, Introduced in New York Senate - The governor of Idaho signed the Uniform Mediation Act into law on Feb. 26, making Idaho the tenth state to adopt the Act. The law will go into effect in July. The UMA is also under consideration in the New York General Assembly, where it was introduced in the Senate in January. This is the second year in a row that the bill has been brought to the Senate. Drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and the ABA Section on Dispute Resolution in 2001, the UMA establishes rules for privileged communication in mediation. It has been adopted in nine other states, including Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
To view the final Idaho legislation, click here. For the New York bill, click here.
March 3, 2008
Illinois Supreme Court Approves Madison County Civil Mediation Program - The Illinois Supreme Court recently approved Madison County's Civil Mediation Program, according to The Madison County Record. The Supreme Court also approved an amendment to the County's Medical Malpractice Mediation Program that extends its mandatory mediation requirement to all cases involving nursing home malpractice disputes. This is of particular note because Madison County had been visited by President Bush in 2005 during his push for tort reform after it was dubbed a "Judicial Hell Hole" five years in a row by the American Tort Reform Association.
To read the full Madison County Record article, click here.
February 25, 2008
ABA Taskforce Releases Report on Mediation Quality - The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution's Taskforce on Mediation Quality released its final report this month. The result of more than a year of surveying lawyers, mediators, and others involved in mediation, the report includes a set of recommendations for improving mediation practice.
To read the full report, click here.
