Author: Leslie O’Neal
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Mediating with “High Conflict” Personalities—Tips for Attorneys & Mediators
By Leslie King O’Neal Most mediators and attorneys have met “high conflict personalities” (“HCP’s”) in their practices. A recent post described HCP behaviors”[i] and how to recognize them. This post offers practical tips for attorneys and mediators to make mediations with HCP’s more successful. These tips are based on the books Mediating High Conflict Disputes by
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How Much AI in Arbitration is Too Much?
By Leslie King O’Neal If Arbitrator Uses AI in Drafting Award, Is It Grounds for Vacatur? If an arbitrator uses artificial intelligence to draft an arbitration award, is he or she acting outside the arbitration agreement’s scope, permitting vacatur under FAA §10(a)(4)? This issue was raised in a recently filed petition to vacate arbitration award
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Practice Tips from Experienced Arbitrators
By Leslie King O’Neal Insights from Experienced Arbitrators How can attorneys be more effective in presenting arbitration cases? At last Friday’s panel at the Miami-Dade Bar’s 2025 “LawCon”[i] four experienced arbitrators, Richard Suarez[ii], Scott Silverman[iii] and John Thornton[iv] and I presented tips from our arbitration experiences. Patricia Thompson[v], another experienced arbitrator, moderated the panel. Plan
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Getting the “Right Stuff” in Arbitration Agreements
By Leslie King O’Neal “The Right Stuff” in Arbitration Agreements Poor Drafting Costs Time & Money The blog posts from the last two weeks illustrated how poorly drafted arbitration agreements can result in extensive litigation unrelated to the merits of the dispute. These arbitration clauses didn’t help the parties resolve their disputes efficiently and cost-effectively.
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arbitration arbitration award arbitration clauses arbitration rules Uncategorized vacating arbitration awards
Same Parties, Four Arbitrations, Four Different Awards
By Leslie King O’Neal A Texas-Size Dispute It’s been said everything is bigger in Texas. Covering 268,596 square miles, the Lone Star State is second largest in the U.S. by area.[i] Texas also creates some major disputes, as the recent 5th Circuit decision in Sullivan et al. v. Feldman et al[ii] illustrates. This case
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Conflicting ADR Clauses: Who Decides Priority?
By Leslie King O’Neal Multiple Contracts on Same Project Parties in construction projects often have multiple contracts related to the same job. What happens when these contracts have conflicting ADR clauses? Who decides which clause takes priority—a judge or an arbitrator? Recent cases from the 4th Circuit and SCOTUS discuss this complex issue. Subcontracts –and
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Dispute Review Boards (DRB’s)–Resolving Disputes on the Jobsite
By Leslie King O’Neal Dispute Review Boards Provide On-Site Dispute Resolution It’s rare to have a construction project with no disputes. Dispute review boards provide a method for prompt, informal, cost-effective and impartial dispute resolution on the jobsite.[i] In the United States DRB’s have been used for over 30 years to avoid and resolve disputes
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The Legends of St. Patrick & Arbitration Discovery
By Leslie King O’Neal In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, a bit about him and his legends (and the legend of arbitration discovery too)! St. Patrick’s Legends Legends abound about St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint (who wasn’t born in Ireland). According to one legend, St. Patrick drove the snakes from the Emerald Isle. However, like
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