Search Mediators Near You:

Negotiating Bankruptcy

My favorite local bankruptcy mediators

Ben Siegel of Buchalter (left)

former bankruptcy judge Herb Katz (right)

Bankruptcy mediation catches on nationwide

A decade ago, there were only a handful of mediation programs in bankruptcy courts.

Long associated with family law disputes, mediation programs were slow to catch on in complex business litigation, including bankruptcy cases.

But that’s changing.

More than two-thirds of the 90 bankruptcy courts have mediation available, according to Robert Niemic, senior attorney at the Federal Judicial Center. Even more offer some other form of alternative dispute resolution, such as judicial settlement conferences.

In the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, more than 3,800 cases have been referred to mediation since 1995. About 64 percent of those cases were resolved through settlements.

To keep costs down, the first day of mediation is free. Parties choose from a list of 200 attorneys and non-attorneys, such as accountants and financial experts, who volunteer as mediators.

Chief Bankruptcy Court Judge Barry Russell, who launched the mediation program in 1995, said that most cases settle in a day, producing major cost savings for both the court and the parties involved.

For full article, click here.

                        author

Victoria Pynchon

Attorney-mediator Victoria Pynchon is a panelist with ADR Services, Inc. Ms. Pynchon was awarded her LL.M Degree in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute in May of 2006, after 25 years of complex commercial litigation practice, with sub-specialties in intellectual property, securities fraud, antitrust, insurance coverage, consumer class actions and all… MORE >

Featured Mediators

ad
View all

Read these next

Category

Michael Lang: Positive Accomplishments in Field – Video

Michael Lang shares what he is currently glad to see in the field: mediation being taught in school programs, community mediation, and the increasing visibility and accessibility.

By Michael Lang
Category

It’s Been A Trip and We’re Not There Yet

It seems I have reached the point in my career when those who would be historians ask for my recollections, assessment of the state of the art and vision of...

By Howard Bellman
Category

Some Practical Considerations When Mediating Online!

PGP Mediation Blog by Phyllis G. PollackOn July 14, 2020, I gave a zoom presentation entitled “Some Thoughts on Ethics in the Age of Online Dispute Resolution.” As an aside...

By Phyllis Pollack

Find a Mediator

X
X
X