In response to a growing scandal, the state of California is considering mandatory disclosure of past relationships by mediators and arbitrators. The scandal involves a Los Angeles attorney named Tom Girardi who worked for years with “private judges” in administering mass tort cases while diverting funds to himself. An LA Times investigation suggests millions of […]

Michigan was one of the few states that was ahead of the curve when the lockdown began, because it had already implemented an online dispute resolution (“ODR”) process and trained mediators to mediate these cases in a chatroom-like mode — asynchronous, no cameras required. A good example of a court ODR system is the program […]

It takes courage to admit one’s error. It takes even more encourage to do so publicly. But a panel of our Michigan Court of Appeals has done that in a well-written opinion issued this week. Judges Gadola, Gleicher and Stephens are to be commended for their honesty, and their example. The case, Barnowski v Cleary […]