Columns

Alternative Dispute Resolution in a virtual world

July 10, 2019

by Martin Weisman, ADR attorney Technology has been changing everything, and ADR is no different. As someone who has a primary residence in Michigan and a second home in Arizona, I have been struggling with scheduling mediations and arbitrations for the blocks ...

Legendary judge Damon J. Keith helped to plant seeds of change

July 10, 2019

by Takura Nyamfukudza Editor’s note: Judge Damon J. Keith, long-time judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, passed away at the end of April at the age of 86.) In spring of 2013, while still a student at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, ...

Creating a winning mediation statement to set the right tone

July 10, 2019

by Gene J. Esshaki, Esq. Abbott Nicholson, P.C. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  The author of this statement is unknown.  Some ascribe it to Oscar Wilde, others to Will Rogers.  The only confirmed source ...

Summary jury trials: Another form of ADR

July 10, 2019

by William D. Gilbride, Jr., Esq. December 2018 A summary jury trial is a one-day jury trial that combines the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of arbitration with the structure of a conventional trial. The process is simple: the parties select a petit ...

Beggars' Pocketbooks and Scope Creep

July 10, 2019

I set out to make Beggars’ Purses. Three hours of scope creep later, I had Beggars’ Pocketbooks. It began innocently enough. There was a holiday mixer after work, 5:30 on a Thursday. The invitation read, “Bring an appetizer.” Now there ...

Legalization of pot to pose roadside testing challenges

July 10, 2019

by Bridge Lorenz Lemberg On November 6, Michigan voters said “yes” to the legalization of recreational marijuana. With more than 4.3 million voters reporting to the polls, 56 percent voted in favor of the ballot proposal. As of Dec. 6, marijuana ...