The ABA and the AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts) have jointly released the 2025 Revision of the Model Standards for Family and Divorce Mediation. This document replaces the Model Standards adopted in 2000, which have withstood the test of time. Notable in the Revised Standards are some additional topics, such as online dispute […]

Michigan’s State Court Administrative Office took some steps recently to align mediation rules regarding parties’ mental health with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mediators were previously encouraged to screen for mental health issues that might contribute to domestic violence, as part of the Domestic Violence Screening Protocol. For example, in assessing a party’s […]

Litigation funding is a means of financing a lawsuit. A third party “invests” in the lawsuit, helping to pay for the costs of litigation, then collects a portion of the recovery. It mostly helps plaintiffs, especially parties who could not afford to sue, such as class actions. If its side does not prevail – in […]