International Arbitration

Expert Analysis

• Monthly Column

  Gray Matters: We Feel, We Decide

  

  Despite legal education training and the focus on logic and reason by the courts, lawyers address emotional issues on a daily basis — albeit more indirectly. But a shift to consciously and strategically addressing emotions gives us a powerful tool to help our clients reach faster, better decisions, say dispute resolution experts Robert Creo and Selina Shultz.

• Opinion

  Justice Kennedy's Moderating Influence On The High Court

  

  The guessing game around Justice Anthony Kennedy’s possible retirement is reaching a crescendo. Yet the speculation does more than fuel bookmakers’ odds. It draws attention to his pivotal role as the court’s swing vote, says Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice.

• Weekly Column

  Innovating For Wise Juries: Juror-Posed Questions

  

  One way to combat juror confusion and boredom is to allow jurors to ask witnesses questions. No federal evidentiary or court rule prohibits it, and every federal circuit court to address the practice has held it permissible, say Stephen Susman, Richard Lorren Jolly and Dr. Roy Futterman of the NYU School of Law Civil Jury Project.

• The Challenges Of Insurance Arbitration In Foreign Forums

  

  Differences in law, practice and procedure between the U.S. and U.K. legal systems require policyholders and their captives to carefully consider the applicable law and forum for resolving disputes before entering into an insurance or reinsurance policy or contract containing an international arbitration agreement, say attorneys with Reed Smith LLP.

• Understanding Product Liability Settlements Down Under

  

  As in the U.S., a product liability lawsuit in Australia can be resolved through an out-of-court settlement agreement. But the mechanisms for settlement in Australian litigation differ from how cases are settled in the U.S. Knowing the settlement landscape and possible costs consequences is important for U.S.-based companies who operate or distribute in Australia, says Bettina Sorbello of DibbsBarker.

• Tips For Complying With ABA’s New Encryption Guidance

  

  Last month, the American Bar Association published revised guidance regarding an attorney’s duty to protect sensitive client material in light of recent high-profile hacks. The first step in compliance is understanding how your data is being stored and accessed. There are three key questions you should ask your firm’s information technology staff and/or external solution vendors, says Nick Holda of PreVeil.

• Weekly Column

  Innovating For Wise Juries: Preliminary Instructions

  

  One of the easiest ways to improve civil jury trials is to give juries substantive instructions on the law at the beginning of the trial rather than at its conclusion. It is also one of the most popular proposals we are recommending, say Stephen Susman, Richard Lorren Jolly and Dr. Roy Futterman of the NYU School of Law Civil Jury Project.

• Due Diligence From The Lateral Partner’s Perspective

  

  Lateral candidates looking to make the last — or perhaps only — move of their career cannot afford to just stand by and let a law firm’s vetting process unfold on its own, says Howard Flack, a partner at Volta Talent Strategies who previously led lateral partner recruiting and integration at Hogan Lovells.

• Lateral Partner Due Diligence: Where Should A Firm Begin?

  

  One frequently hears from leading malpractice insurers that one of the highest risk categories for law firms is that of lateral partners not sufficiently vetted during the recruitment process, says Howard Flack, a partner at Volta Talent Strategies Inc. who previously led lateral partner recruiting and integration at Hogan Lovells.

• The Current State Of 'Class Arbitration' Law

  

  Thus far the U.S. Supreme Court has addressed only a few issues concerning “class arbitration." Gilbert Samberg of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC examines several elements of the current law, muddled as it is.