Effective January 1, 2019, California attorneys must provide a written mediation disclosure statement to clients or face potential disciplinary consequences. What Does the New Law Do?The disclosure does not protect clients so much as inform them about mediation confidentiality. Under changes to the Evidence Code, attorneys must have clients sign off on a mediation disclosure […]
I get calls at least once a month from represented injured workers who don’t know what is going on with their claims. Stop and think about that in light of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Typically, in violation of existing rules, the AA has not communicated with the client. Sometimes the attorney has given the […]
Here’s an oxymoron for you: the humble litigator. Like jumbo shrimp and military intelligence, it may seem ridiculous to pair humility with any litigator. But for anyone trying to settle a claim, a little humility can help get you to the finish line. Most of the time that dispute will eventually settle without court intervention. The […]
Almost all of my mediations end with agreement to a Compromise and Release. Parties often bring a partially completed Compromise & Release form, DWC-CA form 10214(c), to the mediation. That’s great. But when considerations prevent execution of a final agreement at the mediation, a Memorandum of Understanding, known as an M.O.U., can be invaluable. What Is It After […]
A litigation analysis found that lawyers used telephone negotiation in 72% of the cases studied resulting in settlement only 35% of the time. That means that phone negotiation sessions or other settlement processes had to be used multiple times to get to settlement. We can assume that repetition resulted in a loss of time and […]
Evaluating future medical care is usually the most challenging component for parties trying to settle a workers compensation claim by Compromise & Release. If your crystal ball is in the shop for repairs, try one of these methods. Medicare Set-Aside You don’t need a Medicare Set-Aside for claims outside the review thresholds, but claims professionals […]
Remember the story of Rumpelstiltskin, a little man who could turn straw into gold? The mediation process does the same thing. When provided with the basic ingredients, the mediator can create gold: a win-win settlement. But the parties have to provide the “straw”: An Open Mind One reason a case stays open may be that parties are not paying […]
In the #MeToo and #TimesUp era, employees may be more ready to assert sexual aggression claims than in the past. These situations could lead to a workers compensation claim, a civil suit or even criminal proceedings. Privacy is an issue in each setting, but only in comp is the claims professional engaged in the victim’s medical treatment. Privacy […]
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