Tomorrow in Orlando: Closing the Gap

Join me tomorrow at the Orange County Bar Association as I moderate a seasoned panel on strategies to bridge gaps causing impasses. I will present panel members with complex fact patterns and describe the specific situations in which the negotiations have stalled and then ask what techniques they would utilize to move the negotiations forward. This will be an engaging program and will feature some of our firm's best mediators. The attendee list is an impressive one as well, with many veteran trial lawyers and even a few mediators, as well as a United States Magistrate Judge from the Middle District of Florida. This program is eligible for 1.5 hours of CLE credit from The Florida Bar. We also plan to meet afterwards in Downtown's North Quarter for an ADR Committee reception at Reyes, just across the street on Orange Avenue. Please come in the event you cannot make the afternoon seminar!

Free Arbitration CLE 6/1/16 - Join us!

Arbitration has been a hot topic this year, whether in the form of coming changes to consumer and class arbitration or developments in cross-border and international agreements. Some practitioners prefer including these clauses in their contracts, while others seemingly avoid including dispute resolution before a neutral or panel of neutrals as an option to avoid court when disagreements arise. Next month, I will be joined by Gary Salzman, Esq. and Beppy Owen, Esq. at the Orange County Bar Association on June 1, 2016 for an Arbitration CLE hosted by its Business Law Committee. We plan to cover the nuts and bolts of the process, as well as hints in avoiding traps while drafting arbitration provisions at the outset. We will also discuss qualifications of the arbitrator and the perception that subject matter expertise is helpful to the dispute resolver selected. This complimentary CLE also addresses recent trends in this venerable form of alternative dispute resolution and will take place from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the OCBA Center, 880 N. Orange Ave. in Orlando. The registration deadline is May 30, 2016. Please RSVP to Marie West at 407-422-4551, ext. 233. See more information here-- http://www.orangecountybar.org/products/seminars and http://www.attorneyatlawmagazine.com/orlando/arbitrator-lawrence-kolin-speak-ocba/

Save the Date (5/14) for E-Neutrals in E-Discovery Disputes CLE

Last fall, the Supreme Court of Florida approved proposed E-discovery rules for state cases. The court adopted amendments to case management to include ESI. The new rules will affect the state’s diverse legal community of trial attorneys. They aim to streamline case management, but they will also impose unfamiliar burdens on practitioners who are new to E-discovery. Neutral third parties, such as special magistrates (formerly masters in FL) and mediators, may be able to assist in these instances. I will be speaking in conjunction with the Orange County Bar Association's Intellectual Property and Technology Committees who are presenting an afternoon CLE called "Florida's New E-Discovery Rules and Best Practices for All Cases: Taming the ESI Beast," on May 14, 2013 in Orlando. My topic before joining a panel on best practices is entitled, "Using E-Neutrals to Limit the Cost of E-Discovery." For the uninitiated, “E-neutrals” can help shape discovery plans, allocate costs and suggest and create efficiencies that may not have existed in litigation. Our services are not limited to grappling with old or new rules, or to discovery disputes. The course description states, "Lawrence Kolin, an Orlando lawyer and full-time mediator, chaired the Florida Bar subcommittee that drafted these rules. In his CLE, he will present how neutrals can help litigants navigate e-discovery pitfalls and resolve expensive battles before they arise. The course material quotes me: “In resolving these issues, I focus parties on the merits, rather than using E-discovery as a sword or shield,” states Kolin. “Mediation of ESI disputes is an avenue that can present parties with significant cost-savings through self-determination, if performed early enough in the litigation.” I hope you will join me! Contact Marie West-- mariew@ocbanet.org for registration or see http://orangecountybar.org/calendar.asp for more information.

Inaugural "Aspects of ADR" Seminar

On November 11, 2011, the Alternative Dispute Resoution Committee of the Orange County Bar Association in conjunction with the Insurance and Technologies Committees, presents a unique seminar, where you will be exposed to a wide range of topics under the Alternative Dispute Resolution umbrella. Effective speakers and panelists in the areas of mediation, negotiation, advocacy within ADR and use of new technology will engage the audience and inspire spirited conversation on related topics. The seminar is not just geared to members who are mediators and arbitrators, but also to litigation practitioners whose clients utilize recognized ADR processes to resolve cases. Featured Speakers: Jay Cohen, Todd Smith, Bob Dietz, Caryn Diamond, Leslie Moore, Nancy Stuparich, Kimberly Homer, Liz McCausland, Phil Bonus Moderated by Lawrence Kolin, Founding Chair, OCBA ADR Committee Presentations: * Use of Technology in Making Effective ADR presentations – Old School v. New School * Understanding the Perspective of Insurers at Mediation * Potential Malpractice Arising from ADR * Keynote on Mediation Ethics by the ‘Dean of Mediators’ * Residential Foreclosure Mediation / Update on the RMFMP Fee: $45 (includes program and lunch) CLE approved - General 5.0, Ethics 1.0 - along with eligible CME for Certified Mediators, including Diversity 1.0 Registration: mariew@ocbanet.org or 407-422-4551 x233 Location: OCBA Center, 880 N. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32801 URL: http://content.orangecountybar.org/content/uploads/PDFs/ADR%20AGENDA%20FINAL_11_11.pdf