This new publication can be accessed here.

ODR Ethics and Standards: What Do They Mean to Our Practices? Thursday, June 9, 2022 @ 11am-12:30pm EST https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/98085295001

This international panel is moderated by Leah Wing & Daniel Rainey and jointly sponsored by The National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution & The International Council for Online Dispute Resolution. The National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution, birthplace of ODR, issued a first set of ODR Standards that it has revised in 2022 jointly with the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR). The panel includes NCDTR Fellows and ICODR members Mirèze Philippe, Morenike Obi-Farinde, Ana Maria Maia Gonçalves, and Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab. We will discuss the relevance and implications for employing ODR ethical standards in light of the new risks that ODR raises and ways it can compound on-going ethical concerns for ADR and courts (e.g.: data security, confidentiality, power imbalances, and AI-enhanced and repeat player biases). Panelists will explore the role of ODR standards in the ethical and accountable delivery of ODR across a wide spectrum of jurisdictions, sectors, and types of practice. This event will be recorded and posted in our NCTDR Webinar Archive.

A conversation with Richard Susskind (author) & Ethan Katsh (NCTDR Founder) June 13, 2022 @ noon EST https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/99148280113

This event celebrates the 2022 edition of The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts by Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind (OUP 2022). Professor Richard Susskind OBE is the world’s most cited author on the future of legal services. He is President of the Society for Computers and Law, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Oxford Internet Institute, and, since 1998, has been Technology Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. He will discuss the impact technology will have on the legal field and other professions in his conversation with Ethan Katsh, the father of ODR and founder of the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution. This event will be recorded and posted in our NCTDR Webinar Archive.

While taking the real work of the people’s courts into consideration, the Opinions aim to leverage the role of blockchain in cementing judicial credibility, facilitating social governance, preventing and resolving risks, promoting high-quality development, etc., so as to reinforce the advance of smart courts on all fronts and the modernization of the judicial system and judicial capabilities. The Opinions issued May 23, 2022 include the following sections: I. Overall requirements; II. Requirements on building the blockchain platforms of the people’s courts; III. Making the most of the data tamper-proof technology of blockchain to further enhance judicial credibility; IV. Giving full play of the essential role of blockchain in optimizing business processes to constantly improve judicial efficiency; V. Fully tapping the tremendous potential of blockchain connectivity to enhance judicial collaboration; VI. Leveraging properties of the blockchain alliance of mutual recognition and trustworthiness to facilitate economic and social governance; VII. Guarantee measures. To read it please see：https://sway.office.com/TZCGYoTyLFfVqxbO (Michael Fang; Zeng Yating at HUT Law School)

NCTDR has issued a paper, Framing the Parameters for Online Dispute Resolution introducing a framework for use in considering what constitutes ODR. With the recent burst in use of videoconferencing in dispute resolution during the global pandemic, growing interest in the application of artificial intelligence, and the development of sophisticated technologically supported platforms, robust discussions are underway about the state of play of ODR. We hope this ODR Framework will contribute to increased understanding and ethical design and use of technology in dispute handling.

The National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution and the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution have jointly issued revised Online Dispute Resolution Standards.

Join us for ODR 2022 in Dublin or online! NCTDR’s 21^st annual International Online Dispute Resolution Forum offers an exciting program on cutting edge ODR developments. Registration for in-person is open and free registration for online participation is available thanks to our sponsors (use Discount Code: NCTDR2022). Time Zone Alert: Program times are for Dublin.

Daniel Rainey (http://danielrainey.us/) has been asked to join the Uniform Law Commission (ULC – https://www.uniformlaws.org/home) as an observer to the study committee following the work of the U.N. Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation.  According to the ULC’s self description, the ULC “(also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws), established in 1892, provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.”   The study committee is focused on the Singapore Convention and its impact.  As an observer, Rainey will bring an online dispute resolution (ODR) perspective to the committee’s deliberations, and will introduce a discussion of the Universal Disclosure Protocol for Mediation (UDPM – https://universaldisclosureprotocolmediation.com/ or https://udpm.org).

Emergen Research has just released a report attempting to size the Legal ODR market.

From their press release:

” The global legal Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) market size was USD 57.3 million in 2020, and is expected to reach USD 210.53 million 2028, and register a revenue CAGR of 17.5% during the forecast period, according to the latest report by Emergen Research. The arbitration segment accounted for largest share in the legal ODR market… The study offers comprehensive coverage of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Legal Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) market along with crucial statistical data about the Legal Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) market…

A primary factor driving market revenue growth is the rapid surge in number of individuals and parties, civilian, and commercial entities, and others, opting to resolve legal or judicial disputes virtually or across distances, and without any contact or physical appearance in a courtroom or at in the presence of judicial bodies… Increasing number of legal cases and disputes arising from e-Commerce sector are some key factors driving steady revenue growth of the global legal ODR market. The crisis has affected the demand and supply pattern, as well as the trends of the industry. It has also brought an economic slowdown that has affected the business of the key manufacturers of the industry. The report estimates the impact of this crisis on the current scenario and future prospects and provides a post-COVID market scenario.”

You can read more here.