I am a dog lover; so any story about dogs catches my eye, and I will find a way to relate it to negotiation/mediation. Here is my latest.Recently, The Economist (November 2, 2013) and other news organizations reported on a study by Giorgio Vallortigara, Marcello Siniscalchi, Rita Lusito and Angelo [Read More]
Perception and transparency. Both are very importantin mediations and negotiations but can be so easily overlooked. This was brought home to me recently in a lengthy mediation that I conducted. It involved a commercial lease and the issue was whether money was owed by the tenant to the landlord for [Read More]
In her latest edition of One Minute Negotiating Tips appearing in the August 2013 edition of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's digital magazine ( Volume VII, No. 2), my colleague Linda Bulmash addresses a topic near and dear to me: preparing for negotiation. Her tip actually takes more than [Read More]
Recently, I conducted a mediation that went much longer than expected. It started at 11:00 am and after a couple of hours, I could see that the session would not conclude anytime soon, so I ordered lunch for everyone. Around dinner time, it appeared that we would soon be finished [Read More]
Recently, I conducted a mediation during which the matter did not settle. However, after the mediation session was over, the parties continued to negotiate- trading monetary demands and offers back and forth. It was a credit reporting case in which plaintiff alleged and defendant denied that an alleged credit transaction [Read More]
Most mediators I know are passionate about their work and about bringing peace to the world. We like to think of ourselves as "peacemakers" and that our goal is to assist others in resolving disputes. Consequently, we may not always focus on the fact that mediation is a business or [Read More]
Time sure does fly! It is that time of year again, and I can't believe that it has already been a year since I was President of SCMA. The Southern California Mediation Association ("SCMA") is holding its 23rd Annual Conference on November 4-5, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. Entitled "Putting [Read More]
