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I volunteered four hours this morning at the Placer County Superior Court as an appointed Judge Pro Tem.  Handed two cases to try and help resolve.  One was a smaller case, with an in pro per plaintiff and a large national insurance carrier on the defense.  Both parties were reasonable, put their confidence in me,…

Author and Forbes magazine columnist Victoria Pynchon writes, “In short, negotiation requires hard heads rather than soft hearts”.  Despite what you might think about the other side and their motivations, the parties have to work collaboratively to resolve the dispute.  While it might not be overt collaboration, the process of recognizing the other party’s perspective, accounting…

Mr. Lewis was appointed today as a panelist Pro Tem Judge for settlement conferences in Placer County Superior Court.  Members of the panel are respected, experienced attorneys who volunteer their time to assist the Court and civil litigants in resolving disputes before trial, which in turn preserves judicial resources and ensures timely access to the…

James R. Lewis was appointed to the exclusive membership of Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a collection of the best trial attorneys in the United States.  Mr. Lewis joins an elite group of fewer than 200 California attorneys who have secured verdicts, settlements or awards for their client in excess of $1,000,000.00.

Check out this excellent status of bills pending in Congress on a broad swath of ADR provisions in a variety of everyday disputes, from cell phones to corn.

The NBA lockout and negotiations to end the lockout failed this week because neither the owner’s representative nor the player’s representative had authority to negotiate and agree on the one remaining crucial term.  As this reporter related, “There is no rational way to explain this behavior [failure to close the deal], so there has to be…

Confidentiality at mediation is necessary, and it is not an evil necessity.  Confidentiality of the conversations and substance of mediation is equally critical to cases that settle and those that do not.  These days most parties to a successful mediation which ends in settlement do not want the results published or shared.  For those parties…

Philadelphia court’s standing order requires all parties to any foreclosure proceeding to meet their opposition face to to face to work out a resolution.  The result:  85% of participants were able to keep their homes.  The Philadelphia court system’s program cost the city roughly $3,310.00 to save each home from foreclosure.  Philadelphia’s program exemplifies the…

Mediation ordered to avoid “litigation morass”. WaMu Reorganization Plan Fails.  U.S. Bankruptcy Judge orders thousands of claimants and stakeholders to pursue mediation. Judge says mediation required before lawsuit can proceed.  Most Northern California Superior Courts now require parties to submit to some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution.  Mediation is often the best ADR option because it…

The Association for Conflict Resolution celebrates “CR Day” on October 20, 2011. The Association aims to celebrate an invaluable resource on the third Thursday in October. October has become a time to promote and celebrate peaceful conflict resolution practices worldwide. Dedicated dispute resolution practitioners are helping to educate the public about mediation and other innovative…