A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about proposed legislation- SB 940- allowing the State Bar of California to certify mediators or, more accurately, certify ADR provider organizations. See Certifying Mediators. The California Legislature is also considering another bill- SB 1141- that, if passed, could have a profound impact [Read More]
On May 1, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee of the California legislature passed a heavily amended Senate Bill 940 aimed at regulating both arbitration and mediation services in California. According to a Los Angeles Daily Journal article published on May 2, 2024 (subscription only), the arbitration provisions may well run [Read More]
Last week, I posted a blog about the California Supreme Court adopting a new Rule 8.3 (effective August 1,2023) entitled Reporting Professional Conduct as part of California's Rules of Professional Conduct. I must confess that I did not read the rule carefully enough. While subpart (a) does, indeed, require a [Read More]
On Valentine’s day, 2023, Assembly member Jesse Gabriel introduced AB 924 to be added as Section 1770 to the California Code of Civil Procedure. Entitled, Alternative dispute resolution: complaints, it currently reads: SECTION 1. Title 11.5 (commencing with Section 1770) is added to Part 3 of the Code of Civil [Read More]
oHappy New Year! I hope that everyone has remained healthy and safe!!!! As usual, the California Legislature kept busy in 2020 passing many laws although not as many as in past years. It enacted only 372 laws and many of them dealt with various forms of needed relief stemming from [Read More]
During 2019, the California Legislature passed some interesting laws aimed at leveling the playing field on equality. The first law that caught my attention involves implicit bias. Several weeks ago, I posted a blog about the existence of implicit biases among Emergency Room physicians. The California Legislature was also aware [Read More]
In 2017, I posted a blog entitled, “A Bias I Never Thought About” which discussed an implicit bias against hair styles, most notably, Afros, Dreads, Twists, and Braids. It was based on a lecture given by Professor Wendy Green who is an expert on discrimination based on hair style. This [Read More]
Originally published in Law360, April 9, 2019 Typically, if a matter settles at mediation, the parties will enter into a settlement agreement then and there to ensure that the matter has indeed settled; there will be no buyer’s remorse or change of mind the next morning. Often included are provisions [Read More]
