This month, Mr. Waterman attended “The Ethics of Negotiation in Mediation” in Richmond, Virginia, sponsored by the Virginia ADR Joint Committee of the Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar. Topics included mediating out-of-state, mediator background and “bad faith” disclosures, lawyer mediation conduct, and mediation case evaluation and settlement enforcement.
Virginia statistics show a drastic reduction in the number of jury trials, which is attributed to the proliferation of mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”). Only about one-half of one percent (00.50%) of all cases recently filed in Virginia resulted in jury trial.