In a December 7, 2021 guest post, I reported that the Academy of Court-Appointed Masters (ACAM) had opened up its membership to people who have never previously served as special masters and was working on a training and mentoring program.  OK, so here’s the sequel.

Mark LeHochey has written a wonderful publication titled, “Road to Somewhere.”  We invite you to check out the piece addressing, “How can attorneys take steps to improve settlement efforts and avoid unpleasant surprises as they map out a dispute resolution? One litigator-turned-general counsel-turned mediator (with some help from a distinguished rock star) points the way forward.”

The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to consider whether asking a party to an arbitration agreement to demonstrate prejudice when claiming a waiver defense violates the requirement established 10 years ago in AT&T v. Concepcion, which stated courts must “place arbitration agreements on an equal footing with other contracts.”

In a September 15, 2021 post, I described the decision by the Academy of Court-Appointed Master (ACAM) (1) to try to open up the special masters profession by inviting people who had not previously served as special masters to join our organization and to receive training, mentoring and professional standards; and (2) to partner with other organizations both public and private both to recruit diverse candidates to serve as special masters and to expand the ways in which special masters can assist in the administration of justice. 

Texas’s Fourth District Court of Appeals in San Antonio has ruled that a firefighter was collaterally estopped from challenging arbitration in a dispute over his medical benefits.

A bill seeking to establish an arbitration process designed to protect patients who are treated by an out-of-network provider during an emergency room visit from being hit with hefty medical charges is currently before the Texas Legislature.