In a September 15, 2021 post, I described the decision by the Academy of Court-Appointed Master (ACAM) (1) to try to open up the special masters profession by inviting people who had not previously served as special masters to join our organization and to receive training, mentoring and professional standards; and (2) to partner with other organizations both public and private both to recruit diverse candidates to serve as special masters and to expand the ways in which special masters can assist in the administration of justice. 

Amy J. Schmitz, Elwood L. Thomas Missouri Endowed Professor of Law at the University of Missouri School of Law, has written “Ordering Online Arbitration in the Age of Covid … and Beyond,” University of Missouri School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2021-21. 

Oladeji Tiamiyu, Clinical Fellow at Harvard Law School and Host of Convergence, a podcast exploring the intersection of technology and dispute resolution, has published an interesting article titled, “The Impending Battle for the Soul of ODR: Evolving Technologies and Ethical Factors Influencing the Field,” 23. Cardozo J. Conflict Resol. 21 (forthcoming). 

The Supreme Court of the United States has declined to consider whether to send a putative class action employment lawsuit that was filed against food and delivery app DoorDash to arbitration.

A Sugar Land nursing home dispute that arose after an elderly resident’s family was banned from a long-term care facility over a number of social media posts has reportedly been ordered to mediation.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Texas heard oral argument in Fredricksburg Care Co., L.P. v. Perez, No. 13-0573. In the case, a Texas nursing home sought appellate review after the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio denied its motion to compel arbitration in a wrongful death lawsuit based on the requirements set forth in the Texas Medical Liability Act (“TMLA”).