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Latest from Merge Mediation Group Blog

During our June 23 webinar on decision tree analysis, one attendee reported having heard complaints that decision tree analysis is unfair to plaintiffs because the multiple probabilities in the tree whittle down their expected damages.
The short answer is that it’s not a legitimate gripe because that so-called “whittling down” results from “garbage in, garbage

We are pleased to announce a free webinar for litigators and mediators on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 12:30 PM EST entitled “Using Decision Tree Analysis To Value Lawsuits and Negotiate Settlements.”
An application for NYCLE-accreditation for one (1) credit in the area of Professional Practice is currently pending.
The presenter is Joshua

Local rules implementing alternative dispute resolution procedures typically provide that mediation attendees must have “settlement authority.” But what exactly does that term mean? Is attendance by outside counsel enough if someone else with full settlement authority is just a phone call away? A federal magistrate judge recently explored these questions in a mediation arising out

The Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”) provides expanded original diversity jurisdiction in federal courts for class actions meeting certain requirements, including an amount in controversy that exceeds $5,000,000. If the class representative commences a class action in state court that meets the requirements for removal, a defendant may seek to remove the action to federal

In this latest post applying Talmudic principles in mediation, we discuss a psychological principle known as the “endowment effect” and its impact on negotiations during mediation (the Talmud being an ancient Jewish legal text compiled around 500 C.E. that is a primary source of Jewish law and philosophy).
Our Psychological Attachment to Objects We

Given the increasing popularity of pre-litigation mediation clauses, we continue to keep an eye out for new decisions addressing enforcement of such clauses.  In a past post, we discussed the importance of fixing deadlines to both commence and complete pre-litigation mediation. A Hawaii federal court recently held that the relevant contractual language must also