Recent Posts
Thought Leadership
A word to the wise: sayings can save a mediation
August 07, 2026 - Preparing a case for media- tion involves a long list of important activities: deter- mining proper timing, as- sessing risks, defining “wants”...
Thought Leadership
Preparing for the first procedural hearing in arbitration: What counsel should know
July 31, 2026 - Before parties arrive at arbi- tration, ready to make their cases and receive their ver- dicts, their attorneys must jump through some procedur...
Neutral Spotlight
Voices of Judiciary John M. Pacheco
June 30, 2026 - Which moments in American legal history do you view as most consequential in shaping the modern judiciary? Marbury v. Madison (1803) was mon- u...
Neutral Spotlight
Voices of Judiciary Halim Dhanidina
June 30, 2026 - TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2026 If you could have argued any case in U.S. history, which one and why? If I had the chance to argue a case from our pa...
Thought Leadership
Principle, curiosity and the ground beneath a mediation
June 26, 2026 - T hales of Miletus is regar- ded by many as the first Western philosopher. In the Theaetetus, Plato re- lates the tale of how Thales was ...
Thought Leadership
Ethics and mediation: Communication, honesty and strategic preparation
June 12, 2026 - In a prior column on mediation ethics, I identified four core du- ties that are essential for attor- neys in civil mediation. They are providing...
Thought Leadership
Deja vu: Lawyer’s mistakes might mean retrying the same PI case
June 09, 2026 - W hat could be worse than going through a lengthy, complicated personal injury trial? How about going through it a second time? That can h...
Thought Leadership
Mediating trucking claims after Montgomery
June 08, 2026 - O n May 14, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that large freight brokers can be sued for negligently hiring unsafe motor carriers. In its una...
Thought Leadership
Pre-mediation discovery: Get key cards on the table
May 29, 2026 - Most garden-variety per- sonal injury cases can safely proceed to medi- ation following routine written discovery and a handful of non-exper...
Thought Leadership
Daily Journal Profile: Prepared to Persist
May 29, 2026 - Prepared to Persist After nearly 30 years in alternative dispute resolution, mediator Anne Lawlor Goyette says preparation, persistence and flexibi...
Announcement
Retired Appellate Justice Dhanidina Named Dean of Western State Law School
May 28, 2026 - DHANIDINA R etired California Court of Appeal Justice Halim Dha- nidina, the first Muslim appellate judge in the Uni- ted States and Calif...
Thought Leadership
Daily Journal Profile: Retired judge Eddie Sturgeon emphasizes preparation, listening in mediation practice
May 22, 2026 - Retired judge Eddie Sturgeon emphasizes preparation, listening in mediation practice Former San Diego judge Eddie C. Sturgeon says empathy, flexi...