Practical Advice for Getting Results in Business Mediation

Mediation is an informal business meeting that is focused on negotiating a mutually satisfactory solution to a dispute. The parties control the outcome and avoid the imposition of a result by a judge or jury who do not have the same interest in creative solutions as the parties do.

The parties and their lawyers have the best chance of ending the dispute on their own. If direct negotiations fail, or escalate into unproductive arguments, it’s time to bring in a skillful mediator. The mediator’s job is to patiently explore all involved parties’ interests, including their lawyers’ interests, and assist in developing solutions that will be in everyone’s best interests.

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New Decision on Attorney Fees on Petition to Compel Arbitration

A July 3, 2013 decision from the California Court of Appeal holds that parties who prevail in petitioning for contractual arbitration will have to wait for the outcome of the arbitration to determine the “prevailing party” for purposes of awarding attorney fees and costs under Civil Code § 1717.

In Roberts v. Packard, Packard & Johnson, the Second Appellate District concluded that the trial court erred in awarding attorney fees and costs to defendants following a successful petition to compel arbitration under a contingency fee agreement that had a broad arbitration clause.

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