Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Weblog

New York City recently signed a contract with online alternative dispute resolution company Cybersettle that will extend and expand the use of Cybersettle to resolve a larger number, and greater variety of claims that are filed against the City.

Cybersettle's press release states:

New York City initiated a pilot program with Cybersettle in 2004 to help reduce a huge backlog of lawsuits against the city and to try to reduce the costs of those lawsuits to the City and its taxpayers. During the two-year pilot, New York City enjoyed a settlement rate of 67% of cases that went through the system within 60-days, and saw the administrative costs of claim settlement drop dramatically. The pilot program was estimated to have saved taxpayers more than $25 million.

The New York Post wrote about the contract here.

In case you missed it earlier today, here is the Justice Scalia interview on 60 Minutes (Part I and Part II). 

Justice Scalia's new book (written with Bryan Garner), "Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges" was featured in the interview.

For the first time ever, the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates meeting, which is being held in Cooperstown this Saturday, June 21, starting at 8:30 a.m., will be broadcast live on the Association’s Web site. Interested members of the Association will be able to access the Webcast and watch the meeting as new President Bernice K. Leber (Arent Fox LLP) is sworn in and the House debates a full schedule of items of interest including reports from the Committee on Civil Rights, the Committee on Senior Lawyers and the Committee on Professional Discipline, as well as the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section report on electronic discovery.

The web cast will remain on the association’s site and be available for members to view at their convenience.

The Essex County Bar Association extends an invite to all members of the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law 4th District to the ECBA’s summer meeting on August 15, 2008, in Lake Placid. The summer meeting will start with a two hour Ethics CLE program for $50 (the proceeds to benefit the ECBA scholarship fund), lunch at the Crowne Plaza and Golf at the Lake Placid Resort Mountain Course, to be followed by a cocktail reception which we are going to sponsor. Here is a memo on the CLE, the details of the meeting, and the golf outing.