With an ultimate goal of improving access to justice in family law cases, the Family Law Taskforce of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Innovation Initiative nailed down more than a dozen recommendations, with five being considered “essential for reform.” Now, that final report is headed to the Indiana justices.
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Teel Lidow, an attorney and entrepreneur, has entered the consumer arbitration space as the CEO and founder of FairShake. This online service helps individuals navigate the arbitration process when they find a billing error or have a complaint about faulty products and services.
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It’s no secret jury trials are declining across America, even as they are increasing in other parts of the world. What’s less obvious, though, is why that decline is occurring and how alternate means of resolving cases are impacting perceptions of fairness.
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Two Indianapolis lawyers who had an idea to start a pro bono mediation service for family law cases were stunned by the reception from the local legal community, as more than 100 answered a call for volunteers. “It’s mind-blowing,” said one of the organizers of a program described as “blue jeans mediation.”
Read MoreI have represented clients in numerous mediations for the past 25 years. In the last five years, while continuing to represent clients in mediations, I have had the opportunity to view the process from the other side as a private mediator. Based on this “dual role,” here are a few expectations that I believe the parties should have for each other in a mediation.
An awareness of the concept of implicit bias and some self-reflection can help us to account for implicit biases in our judgments and decision-making. This is particularly important for mediators.
An aircraft engine fire that sparked a foreign arbitration discovery battle between an American manufacturer and a British company over a 150-year-old law is headed to the United States Supreme Court for clarification.
The Indiana Supreme Court is seeking feedback on proposed amendments to the Indiana rules for alternative dispute resolution, appellate procedure, small claims and trial procedure.
A New York-based copyright holder that sued the late Hoosier artist Robert Indiana a day before his death has reached a settlement with his estate and the foundation set up to transform the artist’s home into museum.
Recently, I participated in a mediation. The case did not settle. Later that evening, I received an email from the mediator, giving me some feedback as to the what the mediator thought were the stumbling blocks in the case that day and some ideas as to what resolutions may still be salvageable. I rarely receive post-mediation emails from a mediator. But I really appreciated the feedback. It was challenging yet motivating.
Indiana Supreme Court justices reversed a determination that a guardian was required to arbitrate claims against a screening company arising from an employee’s sexual assault on a resident of a Carmel assisted living facility.
Speaking with reporters via Zoom on Thursday, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush acknowledged that despite efforts to keep courts operating remotely as much as possible, judges will face the difficult task in 2021 of working through COVID-created backlogs and getting their dockets back on schedule.
As the uncertainty continues over how many struggling Hoosiers could be evicted in the coming months, the Indiana Supreme Court is trying through the new Landlord and Tenant Settlement Conference Program to prevent housing loss and all the bad ramifications that can ensue by inviting landlords and tenants to first have a conversation.
After hearing oral argument on petition to transfer Sept. 24, the court must now decide if it will rule in a dispute filed by an elderly woman and her representative against the Carmel assisted living facility where the woman once lived and an independent contractor hired by the facility who is accused of raping her.
One alternative dispute resolution option to consider during the pandemic is expedited arbitration. Both the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) offer an “expedited” or “fast track” option for dispute resolution that truly accelerates the proceedings.
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed the denial of an estate’s motion to compel arbitration against a nursing facility after concluding that the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act does not apply in the case.
The Indiana Supreme Court is launching a new mediation program to help stem the anticipated flood of evictions by facilitating settlement agreements between tenants facing eviction and landlords trying to collect rent.
A woman who was awarded half of a $122,000 stock account held by her former husband after the couple entered into a mediated divorce settlement agreement that didn’t mention the account was stripped of that share of the stock account on appeal Wednesday. However, a dissenting judge would have affirmed the grant of money to the ex-wife.
The Indiana Supreme Court has issued orders amending rules of the court, some of which concern juror privacy and public access to juror questionnaires and discovery of certain insurance settlement information in mediations.
When the ugly weed of hate and division sprouted at the Bloomington farmers’ market last summer, it highlighted deeper conflicts in the college town and launched a community-wide mediation to address longstanding issues of discrimination and bigotry.
Nearly every legal function has transitioned to a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic, and mediation is no exception. But the concept of online dispute resolution was gaining traction even before “coronavirus” was an everyday word.
Recent data suggests owners, architects, contractors and others involved in the construction process are gravitating toward alternative dispute resolution. Mediation, in particular, is emerging as a preferred – and in many cases, required – option.
The legal guardian of an elderly woman housed at a Carmel assisted living facility could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Tuesday that she should not be compelled to arbitration after bringing breach of contract and negligence claims against the facility for allegations of sex abuse.
The Indiana Supreme Court is seeking comment from the bench, bar and public on several proposed amendments to various Indiana court rules.