Those of you who missed the “Borders Skirmishes” symposium last week at University of Missouri’s Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution can view the keynote address by Gary Born at the symposium website (click on the link under “Keynote Webcast”). Gary Born is widely regarded as the world’s preeminent authority on international commercial arbitration and international litigation, having been selected to receive the Global Arbitration Review’s inaugural “Advocate of the Year” award and the Legal Media Group’s “World’s Best International Litigator” award. The “Borders Skirmishes” symposium focused on the intersection between litigation and international commercial arbitration, and brought together speakers and attendees from fifteen countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Papers from the symposium will be published in the University of Missouri’s Journal of Dispute Resolution in early 2012. If you have any questions, please contact our friend and contributor to this blog Professor S.I. Strong via email at strongsi@missouri.edu. Technorati Tags: law, ADR, arbitration

Via Court ADR Connection we learned of “Michigan Mediates!” a statewide mediation program launched recently by the State Bar of Michigan, ADR Section. The goal of Michigan Mediates! is to elevate awareness and use of mediation as a practical and cost-effective tool to help solve many of the complex problems plaguing government agencies, schools and communities. Michigan Mediates! will include state-wide trainings, public service announcements, and collaboration with grass roots partners including the 20 community dispute resolution centers throughout the state, the Michigan Supreme Court State Court Administrative Office, school districts, police departments, government agencies, and faith-based organizations. To learn more about the campaign, check out this press release. The program’s website (currently under construction) is here.

Following are this month’s recent developments in international arbitration law published by the International Law Office: France: Arbitrators cannot seek a ruling on the constitutionality of statutory provisions Portugal: Back on the right track: Supreme Court rules on multi-contract arbitration United Kingdom: Court of Appeal rules on arbitrability of shareholder’s claims Technorati Tags: law, ADR, arbitration

  Coverage of anti-arbitration bills is back. On October 13, 2011, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled Arbitration: Is It Fair When Forced? The hearing discussed the Arbitration Fairness Act and a report by Alliance for Justice, Arbitration Activism: How the Corporate Court Helps Business Evade Our Civil Justice System. The Webcast and links to witness testimony and member statements are here. David Lazarus at Los Angeles Times says that the bills’ chances of getting out of the House are slim. Also, Mike Sacks at the Huffington Post discusses the Arbitration Fairness Act and the Consumer Mobile Fairness Act in Arbitration Kickback: Supreme Court’s Anti-Consumer Rulings Trigger Democratic Bills. See Arbitration Fairness Act; S.987; Status. H.R.1873; Status ; Consumer Mobile Fairness Act; S. 1652; Status. Find our recent summary of U.S. bills related to dispute resolution here. Technorati Tags: arbitration, ADR, law