Tag: alternative dispute resolution

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AABANY Solo and Small Law Practice Committee Holds First Support Group Event

On May 31, 2023 at noon, AABANY’s Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee held its first Support Group meeting over Zoom, where 9 committee members joined and got to know each other and their practice areas. The group also discussed how they would like to hear or learn from the Committee and exchanged ideas for upcoming events. Members shared topics such as cybersecurity concerns, new technologies like ChatGPT, Alternative Dispute Resolution, mental health issues, and best practices to run a solo or small law firm.  This provides a great chance for Committee Members to connect with each other and form a virtual support system that lawyers practicing in solo or small law firms might find hard to get within their own practice.  

The Support Group will meet monthly and the next meeting will be on June 27 to discuss how to reap the benefits of technology implementations for your practice.  On June 28, the Committee will be hosting “Using Benefits Provided by NYC Department of Small Business Services as a Solo or Small Law Firm” at 5:30 PM to help practices get the most out of services provided by the NYC Department of Small Business Services. To register by June 26 and learn more, click here. For upcoming events, please check AABANY’s calendar and update your email preference in your account to receive the Committee’s emails. 

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AABANY’s ADR and Litigation Committees Present an International Arbitration CLE with JAMS

On August 16th, 2022, AABANY’s Litigation and ADR Committees, along with JAMS, co-sponsored a CLE panel about international arbitration. AABANY ADR Committee Chair and JAMS Neutral Chris M. Kwok gave opening remarks, and AABANY Litigation Committee Co-Chair Aakruti G. Vakharia of Haug Partners moderated the panel. The panelists were Hiro Aragaki, JAMS Neutral and Professor of Law; Margaret Ives, in-house counsel at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Limited; and Dr. Kabir Duggal of Arnold & Porter. The panel discussed the differences between litigation and arbitration, the benefits of international arbitration over cross-border litigation, the challenges of arbitrating internationally, the mechanics of international arbitration, and best practices for what to include and what to avoid when drafting a dispute resolution clause. The panel encompassed neutral, outside counsel, in-house counsel, and academic perspectives

Thank you to everyone who worked on and attended this CLE. We greatly appreciate Niki Borofsky, Christine Smith, Alison M., Margaret Poppe, Todd Drucker, Jazmine Smith, Corey Taylor, and Matthew P. York of JAMS collaborating with AABANY’s Litigation Committee, co-chaired by Aakruti G. Vakharia, Jennifer Wu, Lois Ahn, and ADR committee, led by Chris M. Kwok (Chair) and May Li (Vice Chair), all of whom  put together this interesting and informative program.

To learn more about the Litigation Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/116. To learn more about the ADR Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/1083.

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AABANY Members: Apply for Ninth Judicial District’s ADR Program and/or In-Person Personal Injury Mediation Training

Westchester County Bar Association in partnership with the NYS UCS Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the Ninth Judicial District are assembling a Court Roster of mediators for the Supreme Court to hear civil matters, with a focus on personal injury matters. Roster Mediators will not be compensated for the first 90 minutes spent in mediation. This initial session does not include time spent in preparing for the mediation session(s). Thereafter, mediators will be paid by the parties at an agreed upon rate of up to the District’s compensation cap.

The September 14, 2021 In-Person Personal Injury Mediation Training is an advanced mediation training program designed specifically for mediators who have completed both basic and advanced Part 146 mediation training.  This all-day program will provide mediators with advanced training and skills applicable to the resolution of personal injury actions.  The program will provide participants with background on internal and external considerations that impact the mediation of personal injury actions and mediation techniques for addressing these considerations. This program will satisfy the requirements for “Continuing Education for Neutrals” set forth in § 146.3 and 146.5 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge that require Court-appointed mediators undertake six (6) hours of continuing education every two (2) years as determined by the District Administrative Judge.

Space is limited for this training.  Therefore, attendance will be prioritized for mediators who have completed 40 hours of training (basic and advanced) and currently serve or wish to serve on a NYS Court mediation roster to handle personal injury cases.  This course will not guarantee designation to a NYS Court’s roster, which is subject to the District Administrative Judge’s discretion.

TRAINING APPLICATION

If you meet the above requirements and would like to be considered for this training please complete this application to determine your eligibility.  Deadline to submit a completed application is August 11, 2021. You will be notified of your enrollment by September 3, 2021 and will be required to submit a registration fee at the rate of $150.00 at that time.  The cost of registration will include costs for CLE credits and food. To apply for the training please click the Start Survey button below.

ROSTER APPLICATION

Mediators who wish to apply to join the Ninth Judicial District’s ADR Program roster must possess the qualifications and training as required by Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge and recent experience mediating Civil cases.  If you wish to apply to join our mediator roster, and have not already done so, please complete a Statewide Mediator Application.

PART 146 TRAINING INFORMATION

Mediators interested in more information on upcoming Part 146-approved training please visit the NYS UCS Office of ADR website.

Thank you very much for your time and interest. Please start the Training Application now by clicking on the Start Survey  button below.  Extended deadline: 8/11/2021, 7:00pm

Start Survey

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NYC Bar Offers Scholarship Opportunity for Surrogate’s Court Mediation Training

The City Bar and Community Mediation Services is now offering a limited number of scholarships to the upcoming Surrogate’s Court Mediation Training – 16-Hour Online Training. The scholarships are intended to encourage a more diverse group of attorneys to consider adding Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to their practices. This program is approved under Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge and satisfies the training requirements of many local court ADR panels. 

Attorneys are required to attend at all four days of the program, which will run virtually on the following dates: September 15, 17, 22 & 24, 2020 from 9 am – 1 pm on each day.

Interested candidates should send their résumé and an optional statement of interest, to Paula Mukwaya at [email protected] by the evening of Monday, August 31st.  

For more information about this Surrogate’s Court Mediation Training, please click here.

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Mediators Wanted – Presumptive ADR Initiative

Thanks to the Network of Bar Leaders for sharing this important announcement about the Presumptive ADR Program:

The NYS Unified Court System has launched the Presumptive ADR Program, an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) initiative, which will expand existing ADR programs and develop appropriate dispute resolution programs in a broad range of civil cases statewide.

These programs will address various case types and will be implemented systemwide. Some programs will rely on the existing network of ADR programs while others will seek to develop or expand rosters of neutrals who meet the requirements of Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge. Courts may be seeking neutrals for assistance in areas that may include matrimonial and family law, personal injury, trusts and estates and commercial matters.

The court system is seeking to improve diversity in the court rosters and increase outreach in all judicial districts.  The Network of Bar Leaders is in a unique position to help promote ADR practitioners through this recruitment tool.

We encourage prospective neutrals to submit their information on or before March 20, 2020 by completing and submitting the online form at this link: https://forms.gle/SqnP8AG8irbfqt2a9 so that it can be aggregated and provided to the court system to make outreach more efficient when the time comes.

The information you provide will be forwarded to the NYS Unified Court System’s ADR office and Deputy Chief Administrative Judge’s Special Counsel for ADR Initiatives for Courts within NYC and Outside NYC, for their further consideration when the initiative reaches that stage.

Please note that the court system will contact only those respondents whose professional background, formal training, ADR and subject matter experience, and geographic availability meet the current needs of a particular roster. The court system will also communicate directly with you at a later date if they are in need of any additional information.

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AABANY and SABANY Co-Sponsor Careers in Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) Panel

On Monday, July 15th, AABANY, along with SABANY, co-sponsored a panel on Careers in Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) at the JAMS office located on the 16th floor of the New York Times Building at 620 8th Ave. The panel featured Dr. Kabir Dhuggal, Senior Associate at Arnold & Porter, Robyn Weinstein, ADR Administrator at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Rebecca Price, Director of the ADR program at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and Chris Kwok, mediator and arbitrator at JAMS, ADR Services. Chris Kwok is a Board Director of AABANY, Co-Chair of the Asia Practice Committee, and Chair of the Issues Committee. The panel was moderated by Amit Kumar, Managing Attorney at the Law Offices of William Cafaro. 

After a brief introduction of the panelists, Kumar first asked panelists, “How did you become involved in ADR?” The panelists’ responses ranged from studying it early in law school to falling into the realm of ADR later. Price noted her background as a social worker in helping to make the transition to working in ADR more naturally. Kwok affirmed that and humorously added, “When I try to describe mediation, I sometimes tell people that I’m a psychologist with a law degree.”

The panelists also spoke on key skills for thriving in a career in ADR. These skills included patience, engaged listening, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a genuine passion for the work. Dr. Dhuggal especially emphasized the necessity of robust legal writing skills. He advised, “Legal writing is an art that needs to be finessed. Make every effort you can. A simple way to do this is to find a senior whose writing you particularly admire and tell them that you’d like to co-author a piece with them.” Everyone commented on the importance of meaningful networking as well—be it through organizations such as AABANY and SABANY to even organizing panels with professionals you’d like to reach out to. 

Other topics discussed during the well-attended panel included improving diversity in ADR, domestic ADR vs. international ADR, and predictions on future trends in the career pathway. Afterwards, attendees munched on assorted snacks from Cafe Zaiya while networking—as discussed during the panel. Thank you to all of our accomplished panelists for sharing their valuable insights! 

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Meaningful Diversity: The Next Chapter of the ADR Story | New York Law Journal

Meaningful Diversity: The Next Chapter of the ADR Story | New York Law Journal

Congratulations to Chris Kwok, Director on AABANY’s Board and Chair of the Issues Committee and Co-Chair of the Asia Practice Committee, on being published in the New York Law Journal. Below is a quote from his article, which can be accessed by clicking the link above. Please note that to read the entire article, you must have a New York Law Journal subscription.

Given the historical exclusion of minorities from the legal profession, the lack of diversity in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is not surprising. The diversity and inclusion issue is magnified by the unique features of the ADR field. Neutrals with diverse backgrounds can help administer justice in today’s increasingly diverse society, as they are a reflection of the people they serve. Of course, mere diversity is not enough; the meaningful inclusion of those diverse candidates in the industry is the next chapter of the ADR story.

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2016 American Arbitration Association Higginbotham Fellows Program – Apply Now

2016 American Arbitration Association Higginbotham Fellows Program – Apply Now

The American Arbitration Association (AAA) created the AAA A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Fellows Program (“AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program”) in 2009 in order to provide training, mentorship and networking opportunities to up and coming diverse alternative dispute resolution professionals who have historically not been included in meaningful participation in the field of alternative dispute resolution.  The AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program is a one-year program designed to offer the full breadth of the AAA resources for emerging diverse alternative dispute resolution professionals. For more information about the AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program, click here.

Click on the link in the title for further information.