Georgia Court of Appeals Considers “Conduct-Based Waiver” of the Right to Arbitrate
by Andrew Flake
Clash of the forums: Two parties to a contract, an arbitration clause, and a dispute over the breadth of the clause. When the plaintiff files its complaint in court, intending to move forward with litigation, the defendant counters with a motion to compel arbitration.
Sixth Circuit Revisits “Closely Related” Doctrine in Forum Selection Disputes
by Andrew Flake
For commercial parties entering into a contract, the opportunity to select where a dispute will be heard is an advantage. Thus it is, in a contract entered into before a dispute arises, we have forum-selection clauses in favor of a particular location and court,...
Card Not Valid: Badgerow and Post-Award FAA Jurisdiction
by Andrew Flake
I recently discovered, with some surprise, that it was again time to renew my library card -- and that I'd need to trek down in person! Imagine, in this era of online convenience... At about the same...
The Forest and the Trees: Drafting The Optimal Arbitration Clause
by Andrew Flake
I participated recently in a discussion on alternative dispute resolution in IP disputes -- mediating and arbitrating trademark and patent infringement cases, and particular challenges that can arise. One of the topics we took up, which...
Management and Process in the Mass Arbitration: From Concepcion and Beyond
by Andrew Flake
It was this very week, in November 2020, that counsel argued AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, a case that, when decided the following year, would end up refashioning the management and resolution of collective disputes in...
Cards, Cookies, and the Supreme Court’s Coinbase v. Bielski Opinion: Mandatory Stay Now Required on Appeal of Denied Motion to Compel
by Andrew Flake
Summer is beach season, and when my family travels, we'll usually bring a few decks of cards with us. When my children were younger, that meant we played a lot of "War." You know the game --...
Arbitration Roundup: Independence Day Edition
by Andrew Flake
We have some recent arbitration-related decisions to review in today's blog, a group we might describe, coming out of the Fourth of July holiday, as a few Georgia sparklers and, from the Eleventh Circuit, one firework of first...
And Enjoy Your New Yacht: Staying True to Course, Eleventh Circuit Reaffirms Limits of “Exceeding Powers” Arbitration Award Vacatur
by Andrew Flake
For a family vacation last week, we spent time in the Caribbean, with its sweeping vistas of sky and ocean, and ships large and small catching trade winds in their sails. Naturally, when I came across a...
Is Arbitration “Just Like” Litigation? Some Challenges to Conventional Wisdom
by Andrew Flake
I will occasionally hear, including from some very seasoned litigators and trial lawyers, that arbitration is “just like” litigation. Is that really true? I suppose, In the sense that they are both proceedings that...
“Flora-Bama,” “Floribama,” and a Comparative Look at ADR
by Andrew Flake
You read certain appellate opinions and just know they were fun to write, and so it is with a trademark dispute, simmering over the past five years, involving a famous bar and an MTV reality television series...