One of the ‘Best 43 Divorce Lawyers in America’
Scottsdale Matrimonial Attorney, Paul J. Buser
Mediation and Arbitration - "Alternative Dispute Resolution" (ADR)
With the increasing numbers of court cases today in family law, probate and estate planning matters, the Courthouses in Scottsdale, Phoenix and in other municipalities in the "Valley of the Sun" are literally bulging at the seams with party litigants.
While families have traditionally looked to litigation in the Maricopa County Superior Court system for resolution of legal disputes, just three years ago the Supreme Court of Arizona a new rule mandating that parties and their attorneys should make every "good faith" effort to settle disputed matters out of court.
See Paul J. Buser's article on this historical change in The Arizona Business Lawyer - "Arizona Supreme Court Mandates Alternative Dispute Resolution Through Rule 16(g)".
These required "good faith" efforts are called "Alternative Dispute Resolution" or "ADR" for short. The different types of ADR include but are not limited to mediation, arbitration, settlement conferences, negotiation, third party neutral meetings, special masters, and so on, to help parties make their good faith effort to settle out of court before going to a contested hearing or trial in Court.
Settlement options through ADR have also been recently enacted in Rule 66 of the new Arizona Family Law Rules of Procedure. See "Rule 66. Alternative Dispute Resolution: Purpose, Definitions, Initiation, and Duty".
Scottsdale family attorney Paul J. Buser has been ahead of the curve, so to speak, with respect to his ADR efforts on behalf of clients.
In 1985, Mr. Buser first trained as a mediator through the American Bar Association's Family Law Section weeklong conference on mediation at the Harvard Law School. In the 1980's Paul was instrumental in supporting and helping establish the successful efforts of the Idaho Mediation Institute.
Mr. Buser was commended as "the first trained lawyer/mediator in Idaho" and for his "leadership role in organizing... a disciplinary dialogue which represents an essential component toward the creation of a forum which can meaningfully address the complex emotional and legal issues besetting families disrupted by divorce."
Mr. Buser has also published articles on alternative dispute resolution:
- "Divorce Mediation – Has The Time Come?" – in Domestic Digest
- "Your Role as a Mediator – A Commentary" – in The Family Court
SEE PAUL J. BUSER'S FULL LIST OF LEGAL ARTICLES HERE >>
In 1989, in a case of first impression before the Idaho Supreme Court, Paul represented a stepfather in Porter v. Stockwell, an appellate court decision that became the "first statewide mechanism for mediation in Idaho through the office of the courts." This legal case was also featured in "The Divorce Lawyers – The People and Stories Behind 10 Dramatic Cases" by Emily Couric (St. Martin’s Press 1991).
In 1990, Mr. Buser was appointed as an Executive Member of the ABA Family Law Section's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.
Jump to the next decade – in year 2002, Mr. Buser then upgraded his ADR skills with Continuing Legal Education study programs sponsored by Pepperdine University School of Law's Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution (mediation and business arbitration) in Malibu, CA and by the Northwest Institute of Dispute Resolution (business arbitration) of the University of Idaho Law School in Moscow, ID.
While Mr. Buser has 36 years of courtroom litigation experience in civil and criminal courts, including recent continuing legal education experience as a diplomate graduate of The Arizona College of Trial Advocacy, Mr. Buser still encourages his clients to make good faith efforts to settle out of court if at all possible.
When family matters touch significant financial interests, count on Paul J. Buser and expect the extraordinary.
Contact an experienced matrimonal attorney in Scottsdale today
A nationally recognized legal problem-solver, Paul J. Buser welcomes opportunities to negotiate, mediate, arbitrate, or litigate the most complex family law cases. In the event that a marital dispute, a will, or trust dispute, or any other family matter begins to compromise the well-being of your wealth, contact the Scottsdale family law firm of Paul J. Buser online or call his appointment administrator at 888-605-8279.
