By Jim Cooley We move forward. The Council of the Dispute Resolution Section met on December 7, 2022, with 37 Council members, committee chairs and past section chairs in attendance. Up for discussion were seven possible task force topics and the results of a survey of Council members and other section leaders about those topics. […]
By Frank Laney In the early 1990s, I conducted mediations for divorcing couples and had a steady growing business. In most cases, one party or both had attorneys with whom they consulted, but those attorneys never came to the mediation meetings. So, I would draft a set of notes, recording the agreements the parties reached […]
By Salim Uqdah Salim Uqdah, a Dispute Resolution Council Member and Co-Chair of the Dispute Resolution Pro Bono Committee, discusses his journey to certification for North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission’s Superior Court, Family Financial, and Clerk Mediation programs. What got you interested in the Dispute Resolution field? There are two answers to that question. A […]
By Sean Vitrano Greetings and happy autumn from the Pro Bono Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section! Our team has been busy organizing for another successful bar year, and we invite you to participate. The Pro Bono Committee works to identify projects and programs that provide members of the Dispute Resolution Section meaningful opportunities to […]
By Judge J. Randolph (“Randy”) Ward This year marks the 30th anniversary of mediation in North Carolina‘s Workers’ Compensation system, introduced by a pair of North Carolina Bar Association CLEs presented live on September 21, 1992, at the Raleigh’s Velvet Cloak Inn. “Mediation for Workers’ Compensation Counsel” was held in the morning, and “Worker’s Compensation […]
By Steve Dunn Miscommunication and misunderstanding are two of the biggest obstacles in mediation. In most cases, there is plenty to disagree about even when the parties understand each other clearly. Mixed signals and misinterpretations make it hard to settle cases, but they are quite common. When the parties speak different languages, the risk of […]
By Jim Cooley The NCBA Dispute Resolution Section (DR Section) started as a committee of the NCBA which imagined a future, first, of court-ordered arbitration for small claims matters and, later, of court-ordered mediation of civil cases throughout the State’s Superior Court Division. Over time, the Committee successfully developed and implemented programs for the court-ordered […]
By Frank Laney Many mediators describe themselves as reformed litigators – lawyers who have spent decades in the litigation trenches, fighting court battles for their clients. Then, at some point in their career, they have an epiphany – they realize that there is a better way to get their clients to where the client wants […]
By Jim Cooley Jim Cooley here. Vice chairs, like vice presidents, don’t have much productive to do, so I thought I would give you a quick report on the Council’s December 1, 2021, meeting, and the upcoming events in March and May 2022. Mark your calendar for the section’s CLE on March 18 featuring Ken […]
By Sarah Kromer It is a privilege to serve as your Section Chair for 2021-2022, particularly with our team of officers this year: Vice-Chair Jim Cooley, Secretary Jim Oden, and Treasurer Denise Cline. Many thanks go to Kate Deiter-Maradei, our Section Chair last year, who worked very hard for all of us. I also want […]