Legislation Committee (Dispute Resolution)

The focus of the Legislation Committee, chaired by Kathleen Scanlon and Geraldine Reed Brown, is to report to the Section on significant legislative developments and make recommendations in selected instances.

Major initiatives over recent years have related to the Uniform Mediation Act (“UMA”) and the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (“RUAA”). In addition, Edna Sussman, as an ex officio member of our Committee, has performed yeoman service reporting on developments with respect to the Arbitration Fairness Act and other ADR related initiatives in the Congress.

Over the past year, we submitted our report to the Section, supporting certain amendments to the New York Judiciary Law affecting attorneys’ liens in connection with attorneys’ rendering of professional services as counsel in arbitration and mediation. This report was endorsed by the Section and submitted by the New York State Bar Association to the Legislature.

An ongoing initiative of the Legislation Committee at this time is our study, in conjunction with the Collaborative Law Committee, of the new Uniform Collaborative Law Act. A report has been prepared and approved by the section’s Executive Committee.

We welcome suggestions and participation from other members of the Section and from the profession generally with respect to legislative developments relating to arbitration, mediation, ADR and other forms of dispute resolution.