by Bob Jacobs | Sep 8, 2025 | Litigation, Mediation
Before becoming a mediator I ran my own law office for 20+ years. My litigation cases were evenly split between plaintiff and defense work. I usually started a plaintiff’s claim by filing a complaint. This approach made sense: Service on the defendant let them know...
by Bob Jacobs | Jul 14, 2025 | Mediation
I recently visited with some friends who have been in the ADR business for years. I shared with them my observations about mediation work (since I have served as a mediator for nearly 10 years). My takeaway? It’s an unusual business. We start a mediation with a...
by Bob Jacobs | May 21, 2025 | Mediation, Uncategorized
When I was fresh out of Law School, my first employer shared with me this observation: “Cases only go to trial when an important fact isn’t known or if people don’t correctly evaluate their cases.” That’s a true statement. If one side knows a critical fact unknown to...
by Bob Jacobs | Apr 28, 2025 | Mediation
I recently heard of a case where the parties settled . . . after 63 moves. No kidding. Sixty-three moves. How does that happen? Many cases settle after a handful of moves. But sixty-three? That’s a lot. Apparently the plaintiff wanted a lot. A whole lot. And the...
by Bob Jacobs | Feb 5, 2025 | General Interest, Mediation
Two of my granddaughters are sisters. One is 6 and the other is 3 years old. They recently had the following interchange: 6 year old: “How many pecans do you want?” 3 year old: “Like, a million.” 6 year old: “I can give you five.” 3 year old: “OK.” Classic sibling...
by Bob Jacobs | Feb 5, 2025 | Mediation, Uncategorized
Binding Arbitration: Yes or No? You’ll never have a runaway jury with an arbitration. But you’ll also be hard-pressed to get appellate review of a skewed arbitration award. In most cases there’s no clear-cut formula for determining whether trial or arbitration will...
