imageBetter results

Lawyers who like to handle disputes on a basis that shares risk with their clients often prefer the speed and lower cost of arbitration. The process has its drawbacks; some people worry about fuzzy standards and the lack of review for legal errors. And some general counsel even swear that it costs just as much and takes every bit as long as a lawsuit.

To which I say: hire somebody who will work on a contingent-fee or hybrid basis. You’ll get better, more efficient results faster.

But sometimes courts render rulings that seem to put arbitration into a second-class legal stratum, a minor league of law, a dustbin of dispute resolution. The Eighth Circuit did such a thing just this week.Continue Reading The Dustbin of Dispute Resolution

Court cuts American Express settlement
Court cuts American Express settlement

Merchants get a new chance to assert claims

Finding “egregious” misconduct by the lead lawyer for a class of American Express merchants, a New York district court rejected a request for final approval of a nationwide antitrust settlement.

The good news? American Express merchants that have

With the U.S. Supreme Court making the test for class actions tougher, you may see a short-term increase in denials of class treatment. You may as a result also witness a surge in class members' filing cases where they assert the now-dead class claims on an individual basis.

But what if — as often happens