Blog Archives
Disagreeing takes up a lot of brain real estate
January 30, 2021
Yale researchers have devised a way to peer into the brains of two people simultaneously while are engaged in discussion. What they found will not surprise anyone who has found themselves arguing about politics or social issues. When two people agree, their brains exhibit a calm synchronicity of activity focused on sensory areas of the brain. When they disagree, however, many other regions of the brain involved in higher cognitive functions become mobilized as each individual combats the other's...
January 30, 2021
Yale researchers have devised a way to peer into the brains of two people simultaneously while are engaged in discussion. What they found will not surprise anyone who has found themselves arguing about politics or social issues. When two people agree, their brains exhibit a calm synchronicity of activity focused on sensory areas of the brain. When they disagree, however, many other regions of the brain involved in higher cognitive functions become mobilized as each individual combats the other's...
Why are Some Scientists Turning Away From Brain Scans?
January 29, 2021
Brain scans offer a tantalizing glimpse into the mind’s mysteries, promising an almost X-ray-like vision into how we feel pain, interpret faces and wiggle fingers. With doubts growing, many labs have become more cautious about what imaging techniques to use in efforts to unravel the average brain’s 110,000 miles (177,000 kilometers) of nerve fibers. Yale University researcher Joy Hirsch, for example, wants to understand “the social brain” — what happens when people talk, touch or make...
January 29, 2021
Brain scans offer a tantalizing glimpse into the mind’s mysteries, promising an almost X-ray-like vision into how we feel pain, interpret faces and wiggle fingers. With doubts growing, many labs have become more cautious about what imaging techniques to use in efforts to unravel the average brain’s 110,000 miles (177,000 kilometers) of nerve fibers. Yale University researcher Joy Hirsch, for example, wants to understand “the social brain” — what happens when people talk, touch or make...
Judges are stressed by their decisions, and 20% have at least one depressive symptom, survey finds
January 28, 2021
One in five judges who responded to a survey on job stress met at least one criteria for depressive disorder, according to survey results released late last month. The most common source of stress was the importance and impact of the decisions the judges are making, according to a study published in the 2020 Journal of the Professional Lawyer. Among the depressive disorder symptoms experienced by the judges were not having initiative (cited by 22.9%); being preoccupied with negative thoughts...
January 28, 2021
One in five judges who responded to a survey on job stress met at least one criteria for depressive disorder, according to survey results released late last month. The most common source of stress was the importance and impact of the decisions the judges are making, according to a study published in the 2020 Journal of the Professional Lawyer. Among the depressive disorder symptoms experienced by the judges were not having initiative (cited by 22.9%); being preoccupied with negative thoughts...
How To Screw Up a Mediation in our Brave New World
January 27, 2021
Remote mediations provide new and outstanding opportunities to mess up your mediations 1. DON'T Make Sure You And The Participants Can Fluidly Navigate and Use Zoom No need to practice and update your Zoom skills. You can easily figure things out “on the fly”. This tech stuff is really intuitive and the participants, who are paying you good money, will understand that you can't be expected to have invested the time and energy to know how every little thing works. They'll be just...
January 27, 2021
Remote mediations provide new and outstanding opportunities to mess up your mediations 1. DON'T Make Sure You And The Participants Can Fluidly Navigate and Use Zoom No need to practice and update your Zoom skills. You can easily figure things out “on the fly”. This tech stuff is really intuitive and the participants, who are paying you good money, will understand that you can't be expected to have invested the time and energy to know how every little thing works. They'll be just...
2020 Texas Case Filings: An Early Look
January 26, 2021
While these charts are not final, they provide insight into decade-long trends and pandemic impact. OCA: "Section 71.035(b) of the Texas Government Code and Chapter 171 of the Texas Administrative Code require each district and/or county clerk to submit a monthly activity report concerning the criminal, civil, family law juvenile, probate and mental health cases in the county’s statutory county courts (county courts at law, statutory probate courts, county criminal courts, county...
January 26, 2021
While these charts are not final, they provide insight into decade-long trends and pandemic impact. OCA: "Section 71.035(b) of the Texas Government Code and Chapter 171 of the Texas Administrative Code require each district and/or county clerk to submit a monthly activity report concerning the criminal, civil, family law juvenile, probate and mental health cases in the county’s statutory county courts (county courts at law, statutory probate courts, county criminal courts, county...
Millennials, It’s Time to Talk Estate Planning With Your Parents
January 24, 2021
Millennials continue to get older and can no longer be looked at as children anymore. Some millennials are even moving into their forties. This means that Boomers are also continuing to get older, which means, Millennials may need to begin speaking to their parents, whom are Boomers, about estate planning. Boomers are at the age when it becomes necessary to have the difficult conversations with them, and the estate planning conversation is one of the most important. This discussion goes...
January 24, 2021
Millennials continue to get older and can no longer be looked at as children anymore. Some millennials are even moving into their forties. This means that Boomers are also continuing to get older, which means, Millennials may need to begin speaking to their parents, whom are Boomers, about estate planning. Boomers are at the age when it becomes necessary to have the difficult conversations with them, and the estate planning conversation is one of the most important. This discussion goes...
Contracts Issues in The Queen’s Gambit
January 23, 2021
If you haven't yet seen The Queen's Gambit, I envy you. You have something to look forward to. It's a wonderful series. Everything about it is wonderful. Also wonderful: thanks to CUNY Law Professor Chaumtoli Huq and Shehran Uddin (@SUddin_10), I can share two contracts issues that arise during the series without terribly significant spoilers. First, and here there is a bit of a spoiler . . . the main character, Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon, is an orphan. ...
January 23, 2021
If you haven't yet seen The Queen's Gambit, I envy you. You have something to look forward to. It's a wonderful series. Everything about it is wonderful. Also wonderful: thanks to CUNY Law Professor Chaumtoli Huq and Shehran Uddin (@SUddin_10), I can share two contracts issues that arise during the series without terribly significant spoilers. First, and here there is a bit of a spoiler . . . the main character, Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon, is an orphan. ...
Synchronicity, Paradox, and Personal Evolution
January 22, 2021
This autobiographical chapter, produced as part of a compendium of narratives by leaders in the field of conflict resolution, offers a highly personal retrospective on a unique career now in its fifth decade. The author reflects on his path from the field of architecture to a specialized law practice on the cutting edge of trends in arbitration, mediation and dispute resolution; his evolution as a professor of law, dispute resolution professional, and award-winning scholar; and his leadership of two important...
January 22, 2021
This autobiographical chapter, produced as part of a compendium of narratives by leaders in the field of conflict resolution, offers a highly personal retrospective on a unique career now in its fifth decade. The author reflects on his path from the field of architecture to a specialized law practice on the cutting edge of trends in arbitration, mediation and dispute resolution; his evolution as a professor of law, dispute resolution professional, and award-winning scholar; and his leadership of two important...
Lawyers Fine-Tune Virtual Court Setups, Skills for Post-Pandemic
January 21, 2021
Attorneys and their firms across the U.S. are adapting their workspaces—and polishing their on-camera presentation skills—in response to the rise of virtual court proceedings necessitated by the pandemic. “There’s a physiological effect of going into a courtroom and going someplace else to do your in-court presentation that’s missing when you’re sitting in your basement or spare room,” Benz said. “Being a courtroom lawyer is about relationship building, it’s about rapport,...
January 21, 2021
Attorneys and their firms across the U.S. are adapting their workspaces—and polishing their on-camera presentation skills—in response to the rise of virtual court proceedings necessitated by the pandemic. “There’s a physiological effect of going into a courtroom and going someplace else to do your in-court presentation that’s missing when you’re sitting in your basement or spare room,” Benz said. “Being a courtroom lawyer is about relationship building, it’s about rapport,...
Study examines decline in civil and criminal jury trials and how to bring them back
January 20, 2021
While judges and lawyers view jury trials as slower, less predictable and less cost-effective than other forms of case resolution, they also view them as fair and prefer them over alternatives, according to a national study released in December by the ABA Commission on the American Jury. The study, titled “Reasons for the Disappearing Jury Trial: Perspectives from Attorneys and Judges” and published in the Louisiana Law Review, additionally showed that most judges and attorneys view jury...
January 20, 2021
While judges and lawyers view jury trials as slower, less predictable and less cost-effective than other forms of case resolution, they also view them as fair and prefer them over alternatives, according to a national study released in December by the ABA Commission on the American Jury. The study, titled “Reasons for the Disappearing Jury Trial: Perspectives from Attorneys and Judges” and published in the Louisiana Law Review, additionally showed that most judges and attorneys view jury...
