Conflicts of interest

When the issue of conflict of interest is examined in the context of a self-monitoring field, a number of questions come to mind. How is a dispute resolution professional to know when she/he is facing a conflict of interest issue? What is a dispute resolution professional to do when faced with a potential conflict of […]

Child Protection Mediation – Unfulfilled Promise

It would seem natural and logical that child protection cases would lend themselves very well to mediation. As with family (custody/access) disputes, child protection disputes often involve a parent dealing with a difficult period in his or her life. The parents are generally extremely emotional and defensive toward the adverse party in the dispute. A […]

The Role of Lawyers in Family Mediation

The jewish family and child services experience Through his involvement in the design of a pilot mediation program for the Jewish Family and Child Service (JF&CS), Warren Morris has had the opportunity to examine the role of legal counsel in the family mediation process. Part II of the paper offers an overview of the project […]

What is an Ombudsman?

This paper presents an overview of trends in the ombuds field, outlining where the ombudsman model has come from, and where it is going. Specifically, Part II provides a brief history of the development of the ombudsman concept. Part III examines in more detail the distinctions between the variations in the ombuds model and presents […]

Mediation in Franchise Disputes

After attending a recent continuing education program, I am more convinced than ever that mediation is advantageous to both franchisees and franchisors for resolving many disputes, especially where a franchisee is claiming that disclosure was inadequate. Fighting battles through the courts is uncertain and risky, largely due to a wide scope for interpretation by the […]