Resolute Systems mediator Case Ellis joins the Master Series faculty to teach a live 40-hour MCLE credited virtual mediation/arbitration training course.  The training is presented by the Illinois State Bar Association and the ISBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.

According to the program description, this Master Series program trains practitioners to resolve conflicts in a non-adversarial, non-confrontational manner, allowing peaceful resolutions between parties. Course topics include an introduction to mediation, caucus form of mediation, qualities of a peacemaker, ethical considerations, other Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms, advanced mediator techniques, and arbitration.

Case Ellis joins instructors Richard Calkins and Fred Lane to teach the 40-hour course.  The live course will be conducted via Zoom on Wednesdays from 3 pm to 6:15 pm beginning September 16 and running through December 16.  While this course is already full, If there is enough interest, a second virtual class will be added on Thursdays from 3:00 – 6:15, so please email the CLE department at cleregistration@isba.org  to be added to the waiting list.

The course has been approved for 40 hours MCLE credit. 40 hours of Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following categories: Professionalism, Civility, or Legal Ethics MCLE credit has also been applied for and is pending approval.

Resolute introduced its innovative Virtual Pre-Trial Mediation service back in March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the Cook County Law Division has mandated pre-trials and mediation by agreement of the parties, you can continue to take advantage of Resolute’s services:

• Virtual & Live Pre-Trial Mediations can be scheduled in 30-minute blocks of time or longer with no administrative or scheduling fees
• Traditional Mediations can be done in person at our Loop Office, or via Resolute’s eMediate Video Conferencing, Zoom, other virtual platforms or by Tele-Conference
• Arbitrations can be completed through Video Conferencing, Tele-Conferencing or Written Submissions

About Resolute

Established in 1988, Resolute is one of the nation’s largest dispute resolution firms with over 2,800 mediators and arbitrators in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.  In 2020 Resolute was voted the #1 ADR Provider and #1 Online ADR Resource by the National Law Journal and Corporate Counsel annual surveys.

To learn more about these services, please contact Mike Weinzierl at 800.776.6060, x125 or mweinzierl@resolutesystems.com.

Resolute Systems is pleased to welcome Cheryl M. Berdelle to its Chicago team of dispute resolution professionals.  Cheryl will lead Resolute’s Chicago Family Law Dispute Resolution Group.

Cheryl’s mediation practice focuses solely on the resolution of family law issues arising within the context of divorce including division of assets, maintenance, parenting responsibilities and time, child support and those issues arising in post-divorce judgment proceedings, prenuptial agreements, domestic partnership agreements and appeals.

Cheryl’s extensive experience as a mediator and advocate in divorce cases instills confidence in the mediation process. Her goal is to facilitate a fair and just resolution of the legal issues which often arise within a highly emotional context. Cheryl is adept at recognizing the interests of both parties no matter how opposed the positions appear. It is with a keen understanding of divergent interests and creative solutions that she has successfully mediated disputes which otherwise appeared locked in conflict.

For more information or to schedule mediation with Cheryl Berdelle, please contact Mike Weinzierl at 312.346.3770, x125 or mweinzierl@resolutesystems.com

Resolute Systems mediator H. Case Ellis will present at a panel discussion September 24^th  for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education CLE webinar.  The program is titled Mediation in a Changing Legal Landscape: Make it Plan.

Case will discuss the Illinois Supreme Court Rules of Professional Conduct for mediators.  The CLE will ensure the audience’s understanding of those rules by hearing from a panel of experienced mediators and arbitrators regarding how they apply the rules to various problem scenarios.  For more information and to register for CLE go to https://www.iicle.com/p2002

For 30+ years, Case’s practiced focused on civil litigation primarily involving business, premises, vehicle, product, professional liability and declaratory judgment actions to construe insurance coverage. He now concentrates his  practice in mediating and arbitrating civil cases both privately, and as a court appointed mediator.

Case has extensive experience mediating and arbitrating civil matters exclusive of family matters and FINRA disputes. He especially concentrates his practice in the areas of Personal Injury, Professional Liability, Hospital Negligence, Property Damage, Contract Disputes, Insurance Coverage, Probate, Employment, Commercial Cases, Subrogation Matters and Construction Accidents. To schedule mediation call Caroline Alexander at 312.346.3770, x129 or email at calexander@resolutesystems.com.

Resolute Systems is committed to creating a healthy environment for in-person mediations at our Chicago Loop Office.  Resolute has announced updated safety guidelines for in-person mediations at our office.  The guidelines are a part of the extensive COVID-19 mitigation plan in place that follows CDC and OSHA recommendations.

During the COVID pandemic we seamlessly converted mediation to our virtual mediation platform. Going forward you can continue to use our virtual mediation platform, schedule an in-person mediation, or a hybrid of both at this location.

Resolute’s policies for ensuring a safe workplace for in-person mediation/arbitration include:

• Absolutely no one presenting symptoms should attend a mediation at our office.  Instead, we can arrange for you to attend online (Zoom, Skype, WebEx, FaceTime, etc.)
• All clients will receive a temperature check when entering the office.  Anyone with a  100 degree or higher temperature will need to reschedule and exit the office
• Face masks are to be worn at all times by visitors  (we will provide disposable face masks if needed)
• We will refrain from handshaking
• There will be one Resolute staff member onsite to host mediations
• We will space mediations to prevent multiple mediations at same time. If you arrive early we will ask that you wait in the first floor lobby
• Directional tape will guide clients and office guests to encourage proper social/physical distancing
• We will use our largest conference room for opening sessions to provide social distancing
• For each mediation, Resolute will provide individual conference rooms to avoid clients in common areas
• Each conference table will be divided by a 1/4 inch thick and 3 feet high clear acrylic shields
• All rooms will have fewer chairs for the purposes of social distancing
• If your mediation is over the lunch hour, we will provide individual lunches to each room. There will be no lunches in the kitchen area
• Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes will be available in each room
• There will be a nightly deep cleansing conducted by a professional certified service
• Only mediation participants will be allowed on the premises. No other guests or visitors
• We will monitor the situation closely and adjust protocols if new information about COVID-19 is learned or guidelines change

We thank you again for your patience and flexibility as we begin the path to our collective “new normal” and wish you and your family continued good health.  To schedule a mediation or arbitration, please call 312.246.3770 or email info@resolutesystems.com.

Cross-Fertilization:  Learning From Mediators Who Do Different Stuff Than You Do.  On May 19, from 3:30 to 5:00, the Center for Conflict Resolution and the Association of Attorney Mediators will jointly present a program in which both the panel and audience will be made up of a broad mix of mediators from different areas to discuss how we deal with the key aspects of a mediation.   The following panel members will discuss how they approach such topics as opening statements, use of joint sessions, dealing with parties’ emotions, and evaluative versus facilitative techniques:

• Hon. Wayne Anderson: Retired judge, mediator with JAMS.
• Hon. Jeffrey Gilbert:  Magistrate, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
• Faustin Pipal: Personal injury mediator with Resolute Systems.
• Lisa Fielding:  Mediator with the EEOC.
• Rae Kyritsi:  Programs Director, Center for Conflict Resolution.
• Cookie Levitz:  Family law mediator with the Circuit Court of Cook County.
• Lynn Cohen:  Director, Center on Mediation and Negotiation, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

The program will take via Zoom, so if you intend to come you need to RSVP to Maia Buess at mbuess@ccrchicago.org.  We expect to receive Illinois CLE credit for attorneys.

Resolute Mediator Reg Holmes will speak at and moderate a panel discussion April 28th for the American Bar Association webinar.  The program is titled “Effective Litigation, Arbitration & Mediation Using Remote Technology Tools.”

In light of social distancing caused by COVID-19, more people will be looking to online resources to carry out arbitration and mediation. Join panelists as they advance counsel’s knowledge, utilization and competency in the use of remote technology to conduct litigation, arbitration and mediation and offer best practices gleaned from their experience and actual use of technology in complex proceedings.

More information is available at https://www.americanbar.org/events-cle/mtg/web/399263606/

This program offers 1.5 participatory California MCLE credit. You must register in advance to participate.

Webinar: Conducting Effective Dispute Resolution with Remote Technology: A Primer for California Counsel

https://calawyers.org/event/webinar-conducting-effective-dispute-resolution-with-remote-technology-a-primer-for-california-counsel/

Even prior to the world entering the CV-19 era, major mediation, arbitration and litigation, both domestically and globally, were becoming increasingly complex proceedings involving multiple parties, counsel, jurisdictions, venues, experts, witnesses, decision makers and complex facts, law, legal systems and procedural rules. The more complex of these disputes can and often do involve parties, counsel, witnesses, experts and decision makers who are spread across the United States, various countries and even continents. Frequently, claims and responses, briefs, documents and orders are sent or received electronically, witnesses and experts are deposed, examined or presented telephonically and via videoconference. Similarly, mediation, arbitration and litigation conferences and pre-trial conferences are routinely conducted telephonically or via some other multi-party technology. The conduct of time efficient, cost effective and fair mediations, arbitrations and litigation would be impossible without the intercession and competent use of ever advancing connection-oriented technologies. These proceedings would be unmanageable and beyond the reach of effective advocacy without the use of technology. When that management and advocacy must be done remotely, the degree of difficulty increases exponentially. This was true before CV-19, it is true now and it will be true as we move into the future. Given this reality, it is imperative that participants be well informed, competent and effective in the availability, appropriate use and deployment of remote technology tools to support effective advocacy and complex proceeding management. This program, delivered by prominent and experienced mediators, litigators, mediators and arbitrators is the first in a three part series that will explore and present current views, leading edge thinking, and best practices regarding the use of remote technology tools to facilitate advocacy and management of complex mediations, arbitrations and litigation.

This program is the first in a three part series focused on advancing legal counsel’s knowledge, utilization and competency in the use of remote technology to conduct legal proceedings.  This Part 1 is A Primer for California Counsel, which will provide an overview of the state of the art in the use of Remote Technology Tools (RTTs) in arbitrations in litigation, arbitration and mediation and how best to transition from in-person practice to online practice. The speakers will make the case for the effective use of these tools, discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with their use and proffer best practices gleamed from their experience and actual use of technology in complex proceedings in California and beyond.

Moderator: Reginald A. Holmes

Speakers: Gary Benton and Sarah E. Reynolds

California Lawyers Association

Dick Devine, of counsel in Cozen O’Connor’s Criminal Defense and Internal Investigations practice and former Cook County State’s Attorney, shares his perspective in the CBA Record magazine on a recent book by legal journalist Emily Bazelon, entitled “Charged,” which examines the powers of prosecutors.

https://user-35215390377.cld.bz/CBA-Record-March-April-2020/34/

 

Resolute is pleased to announce that for the second consecutive year it has been voted the #1 ADR PROVIDER and #1 Online ADR Resource in U.S by the 2019 National Law Journal Annual Reader Rankings Survey.  Resolute mediator Joseph Spinola, a former Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, was also voted the #1 Mediator in the US for the third consecutive year.

The National Law Journal’s Annual “Best of The National Law Journal” is a list of the top legal products and service providers as determined by votes from members of the national law community. This year’s special supplement summarizes the results of an online ballot that included over 500 companies, 79 business categories and garnered over 6,500 votes from the legal community.

In addition, Resolute was voted a “Best ADR Provider” and a “Best Online ADR Resource” in the nation for Corporate Counsel’s 2019 Annual Best of Survey.  For ten consecutive years Resolute has been voted a “Top Overall ADR Provider” in the New York Law Journal and #1 Overall ADR Provider in the Best of the Midwest for 5 consecutive years.  Resolute has also been named “ADR Provider of the Year” by the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and ranked the 66th fastest-growing company by Inc. magazine (13th Annual Edition).

Established in 1988 with offices throughout the country, Resolute has a national panel of 2,800 neutrals and administers over 12,000 cases each year nationally.

https://images.law.com/media/nationallawjournal/supplements/Best_NLJ_2020/mobile/index.html