IndyBar: Virtual Mediation: Here to Stay or No Way?
Let’s talk about virtual mediation, but first, let me give you a little backstory.
Let’s talk about virtual mediation, but first, let me give you a little backstory.
Mediation is a process, starting before and extending beyond the traditional meeting or “session.”
Taft partner Peter French shares his thoughts on mediation in commercial disputes.
With the help of elder law mediation, the families can each consensus on aging issues without an expensive courtroom battle.
There was universal consensus when mediation was introduced in the early 1990s that mediations should be “confidential.” The ADR rules adopted in Indiana and most other states, however, failed to set forth clear standards and guidelines for courts and mediation participants faced with issues of confidentiality of mediation communications.
More attorneys and their clients have been seeking mediation because of the backlog in the courts. Mediators explained they are seeing parties who want to get their disputes resolved but are not willing to wait for the courts’ calendars to clear.
The recent trend toward only “meet and greet” joint sessions in mediation presents a serious challenge to lawyers in discharging one of their primary mediation functions: to advocate on behalf of their clients to get the best settlement option on the table.
Some could argue that alternative dispute resolution is the solution to speeding up the process for M&A deals stuck in limbo, but both mediators and M&A attorneys alike agree mediation and arbitration are not the routes they’d choose in most situations.
Although mediation has been an integral part of the civil justice system for more than 30 years, there was not at its inception, nor is there today, a commonly accepted definition or agreement as to what constitutes the “process” of mediation.
In August of 2021, LaToya Highsaw received a scholarship from the IndyBar Alternative Dispute Resolution Section to attend a four-day mediation training.
Mediation is often underutilized in elder law disputes mainly because attorneys aren’t familiar with its use in this area of law. In my experience, it can be a useful and efficient tool. Toward that end, my firm, Applegate & Dillman Elder Law, has opened an elder law mediation center.
After 20 years, Neil Bemenderfer and Richard Kraege are still some of the Indianapolis area’s busiest registered mediators.
The Applegate & Dillman Elder Law Mediation Center officially opened Sept. 8 to provide an out-of-court option for families to resolve elder law disputes.
Litigation isn’t the only means of resolving public complaints in the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. In fact, the office has a dedicated staff working every day to help consumers and businesses come to agreements outside of the court system.
If you’re a litigator, mediation is likely a large part of your practice. Nevertheless, there are still a variety of common myths that either prevent parties from mediating a case or prevent them from having a productive mediation.
Taking a pass on opening statements in mediation is an easy out. However, does that make it a good idea? Should it be the rule, rather than the exception? Is forgoing the opening statement in the client’s best interests?
One of the big questions on the minds of lawyers, judges and mediators everywhere, not just in Indiana, is what mediation is going to look like “post-COVID.” We interviewed some of Indiana’s most prolific mediators regarding this issue.
Applegate & Dillman Elder Law, a central Indiana-based elder law firm with locations in Indianapolis, Zionsville and Carmel, launched the Applegate & Dillman Elder Law Mediation Center on Wednesday.
Because trial attorneys will spend more time in mediations than jury trials, attorneys’ advocacy skills at mediation are a very important element to achieving successful results for their clients. Another important component, however, relates to the comprehensive evaluation of the case’s economic damages leading up to mediation.
Despite the erroneous admission of confidential evidence prepared in anticipation of a divorce mediation, the Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the award of half of a man’s stock to his now-ex-wife due to his breach of the divorce agreement. The high court ruled in the case that documents produced in anticipation of mediation are covered under settlement negotiation confidentiality requirements.