Two recent amendments to the Commercial Division Rules, designed to encourage alternative dispute resolution, will go into effect on January 1, 2018.
The amendment to Rule 10 requires counsel to certify that they have discussed with their clients the availability of alternative dispute resolution options in their case. Specifically, counsel will be required to submit a statement at the preliminary conference, and at each subsequent compliance or status conference, certifying that counsel has discussed the availability of ADR with the client and stating whether the client is “presently willing to pursue mediation at some point in the litigation.”
If the parties indicate their willingness to mediate, the Rule 11 amendment will require counsel to jointly propose in the preliminary conference order a date by which the mediator shall be selected.
The new amendments ensure that the option to pursue mediation is communicated to parties at a relatively early stage in the case, before substantial legal fees are incurred in discovery and motion practice, and before parties become too steadfast in their respective positions. Moreover, by requiring counsel to discuss with their clients the possibility of ADR, the amendments provide a mechanism by which counsel can candidly discuss with their clients the “pros and cons” of ADR in a way that does not signal weakness or lack of confidence in their position.
The amendments to Rules 10 and 11 are in line with federal court local rules which similarly require counsel to discuss the possibility of ADR with their clients and adversaries (see e.g. S.D.N.Y. Local Rule 83.9(d) [“In all cases . . . each party shall consider the use mediation . . . and shall report” to court]; W.D.N.Y. Local Rule 16(b)(3)(B).
The new amendments do not in any way alter Rule 3 of the Commercial Division Rules, which permits the court to direct, or counsel to seek, the appointment of a mediator at any stage of the action.