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Mediator Ricardo Cata a Recent Speaker in Mexico City

Ricardo J. Cata, bilingual mediator with Upchurch Watson White & Max, was a speaker on June 4, 2015, at a mediation seminar held by the ICC Mexico, at the Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico City. The seminar, from June 3 to 5, was titled “Taller Practico: Mediación, Dispute Boards y Peritage: Otros Caminos Para Resolver Conflictos”.

UWWM Enjoys Sponsoring OCBA Gala

Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group was a gold sponsor of the recent 2015 OCBA Gala, presented by the Orange County Bar Association for the benefit of the Legal Aid Society and the Orange County Bar Foundation. Also known as the “attorney prom,” the event brought out the photographer in several attendees. The Cher photo was originally posted by Boehm & Boehm Forensic Media Consulting, and the company offers this link to look at all of the photos: http://smu.gs/1GmwTcg.

It’s a Wrap, Seattle

Interested in teaching, learning, or networking with diverse alternative dispute resolution practitioners, educators, and consumers of ADR? Join the ABA Dispute Resolution Section at it’s 18th Annual Spring Conference in New York next April.

Last week, our host city, Seattle, was the perfect backdrop for current and future leaders in the diverse world of ADR to interact and network; the city perfectly reflects the innovative and vibrant Pacific Northwest.

Plenaries, committee meetings, the Legal Educators Colloquium, and Symposium on ADR in the Courts joined the Finals of the National Advocacy in Mediation Competition, the awards luncheon, and dozens of practical, provocative and forward-looking conference sessions.

Pre-Arbitration Preparation — Being a Better Advocate

Efficient arbitration serves the interests of the parties in arbitration. Attorneys and arbitrators should understand what facilitates that goal of efficiency in order to reach it. Counsel should, right out of the box, provide all foundational documents governing the fact there will be an arbitration, such as the agreement or order to arbitrate. Then, on the preliminary case management call, counsel should be prepared to discuss the structure, rules, anticipated motions, dates, the need for third-party subpoenas and authority and geographic implications, discovery expectations, how discovery is to be produced and other issues.

ADR Education on Display in Seattle

Wednesday night (April 16, 2015), four teams of law students were given fact patterns in preparation for the semifinal rounds of the 2015 National Representation in Mediation Competition. Each team, consisting of two students, developed a presentation plan and competed through a seventy-five minute mock mediation today at the 17th Annual Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference in Seattle. For the second year in a row, I had the good fortune to serve as a judge in the semifinals.

Mediating Professor: Lawrence Kolin Guest Lectures

Last week, I had the privilege of teaching the Mediation Theory & Practice class of my UWWM colleague Brandon Peters at Florida A&M University College of Law. I was glad to find the students bright and eager to learn the practical side of our profession. Our topic was representing clients at mediation. This required putting back on the advocacy hat and thinking about the process of mediation in a different way than in my daily job as mediator. As a neutral, we are motivated to facilitate the parties in making a decision for themselves. In examining how attorneys should represent clients at mediation, we reviewed the traditional role of a zealous advocate and what issues might arise during negotiations, such as lawyer-client conflicts of interest, non-economic concerns and other potential inhibitors to a deal.

ADR Section Presents ‘Solutions in Seattle’

This week, Seattle hosts the 17th Annual Spring Conference of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. This year’s theme, “Solutions in Seattle” will bring together hundreds of both new and well seasoned ADR practitioners, educators, service providers, and advocates. Attendees will benefit from CLE programs and networking on every imaginable topic in the field.