News

Recently retired 3rd Circuit Judge Megan Maher Brennan will be joining MI-JADR effective June 1, 2018 and will be working out of the Livonia, Michigan office.

Judge Brennan has more than 30 years of experience as a trial attorney and trial judge and has served in all four divisions of the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court: civil, family, criminal and juvenile.

Judge Brennan is completing her certification as a civil case mediator and will focus her practice on mediating civil matters.

Judge Brennan (ret) will be joining retired Judge Daniel P. Ryan (ret), Judge Jeanne Stempien (ret), Judge John Foster(ret), Judge William Caprathe (ret), Judge James L. Ryan (ret), and Judge Neil Mullally (ret).

MI-JADR was formed in 2015 and has offices in Livonia, MI, Bay City, MI, Muskegon, MI, Dallas TX and Boulder, CO.

Judge Caprathe has given up permission to re-publish an article he recently published regarding the importance of empathy in the mediation process. Please read the attached article Empathy Article # 2

Judge Caprathe has given us permission to re-published an article he wrote entitled “Hanging Up the Robe: A Transition to Mediation.” Judge Caprathe is available to mediate cases in our Livonia and Bay City offices. A PDF of the article is attached in the following link: hanging-up-the-robe-caprathe

The Hon. James L Ryan (Inactive) is only available to meet with a party to provide neutral evaluation or mock argument of state or federal appellate matters.

Judge Ryan is available at our Livonia Office for limited consultation as a neutral evaluator or to provide mock appellate argument to a party involved in a state or federal appellate matter.

Judge Ryan is an inactive Senior U.S. Circuit Court Judge. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by President Ronald Reagan in October 1985. His earlier career included twenty-two years of service in the Michigan judiciary, including twelve years as a trial judge and ten years as a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

MI-JADR is now operating in the Bay City office located at 1610 S. Euclid Avenue, Bay City, Michigan. Judge William J. Caprathe has joined MI-JADR effective October, 2016. He will mediate cases in Bay and Saginaw counties.

Judge Caprathe is also available to mediate/arbitrate cases on select afternoons from 1:30-4:30 in Livonia. Contact Judge Caprathe at 989-225-6407 for appointments is Bay City and 734-744-9822 to schedule with him in Livonia.

Four Judges: One Location.

Beginning October 1, 2016 Judge John Foster will be available daily for mediations and three judge neutral arbitrations or case evaluations with Judges Stempien, Ryan and Caprathe at the Livonia office.

We appreciate the privilege of mediating your clients’ important cases. Thank you for helping make this first year a success.

We look forward to working with you on other cases in the upcoming year.

MI-JMS Fall 2015 Newsletter

With three retired judges who have tried more than 1000 jury trials and 67 years of combined experience, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provided by the retired judicial neutrals at Michigan Judicial Mediation Services (MI-JMS) PC is a quicker and more cost efficient way in which to resolve disputes between the parties either prior to or after commencement of litigation in a neutral conflict-free environment.

Alternative dispute resolution can take many forms including arbitration (binding or non-binding), facilitation, and private or court ordered mediation. There are many advantages to alternative dispute resolution including:

• the proceedings are conducted confidentially rather than in a public forum where sensitive information can be exposed to competitors, the general public or the media;
• alternative dispute resolution methods are less adversarial and help preserve existing personal and business relationships and reputations;
• alternative dispute resolution is often more suitable to resolve complex business or commercial multi-party disputes;
• the procedure is more flexible than court, i.e. the process is determined by the parties to the dispute;
• the costs are lower and economically efficient;
• there is less confusion or complexity regarding process;
• alternative dispute resolution allows the parties to mutually select a neutral third party with expertise in the subject matter of the dispute and someone whom they trust to direct negotiations, adjudicate and avoid the uncertainty associated with jury trials;
• because the parties are engaged in the selection and dispute resolution process there is a higher likelihood of settlement;
• alternative dispute resolution offers an opportunity for quicker resolution of disputes rather than the years it may take to get to trial;
• the parties can craft practical solutions customized to the parties’ interests and needs that may not be options for the judge or jury in a trial; and
• agreements reached in negotiated settlements are better alternatives to non-negotiated judicial options and are far more lasting.

Michigan Judicial Mediation Services PC offers a wide variety of alternative dispute options with convenient 24/7 online scheduling. For your next case, consider retired Judges Ryan, Stempien and Foster as your individual facilitators or mediators or as your next three judicial neutral panel for your next arbitration or special case evaluation. For more information or to schedule an appointment on line 24/7,  visit http://www.mijadr.com , e-mail  judgeryan@mijadr.com or contact 734-744-9822.

Make MI-JADR Your JADR!