Shows
Lawyers in the Making PodcastE22: Steven Schulwolf Founder of Schulwolf MediationSteve is a University of Michigan Law School Graduate and Schulwolf Mediation's Founder. We delve into his journey into law school, choosing as he says, Law School or Treason, his enriching experiences both in law school and abroad in Bulgaria, and the profound impact these experiences have had on his life. Steve's perspective on work and life, emphasizing the pursuit of one's interests, resonates deeply and offers valuable insights for all. Don't miss out on exploring more about Steve's work by visiting his website below!https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-schulwolf-1b60145https://schulwolfmediation.com
2024-02-2151 min
Opening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 14: The Supreme EpisodeThe Supreme Court has only had seventeen men serve as Chief Justice. Chicago attorney Dan Cotter writes about all of them in The Chief Justices: The Seventeen Men of the Center Seat, Their Courts, and Their Times. While legal theory instructs lawyers to analyze the law and not the circumstances surrounding its creation, Cotter embraces an overall historical approach. Many Supreme Court justices have been defined by the landmark rulings they delivered. Cotter shows how some rulings, like Dre…
2021-03-3148 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 13: Winter is ComingSteve discusses all aspects of mediation with fellow mediator, Winter Wheeler. The two discuss their transitions from experienced litigators to full-time mediators, including their mediation philosophies and building their practices. The two discuss mediation via Zoom, anti-bias standards for mediators and the importance of language and its impact on the legal system, focusing on the African-American vernacular.
2021-02-191h 03Opening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 12: What Happens in Mediation Stays in Mediation . . . Right?A bedrock principle for mediation is its confidentiality. Arguments made at mediation are typically not admissible in court. Nationally renowed mediator, Jeff Kichaven, has been virtually touring the country presenting a provocative theme: your mediation might not be confidential. Jeff tells Steve that whether a mediation is confidential is determined by the court hearing an attack on confidentiality and if it is a different forum from where the mediation took place, which Restatement that…
2021-01-2750 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 11: Acting like we have done this before. Advocacy via ZoomOld school football fans often complain about celebrations after touchdowns grumbling “act like you have been there before.” The COVID-19 pandemic has altered how the legal system administers justice. Seasoned trial attorneys who are poised and confident in front of judges and jurors are learning how to present evidence via Zoom. Lawyers are forced to act like they have been there before while navigating unchartered waters. As more and more arguments and trials are conducted via Zoom, t…
2021-01-1241 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastJudicial Prerogative: Wearing a Robe in the Time of COVIDSteve talks with the Honorable Bryan Chapman, 18th Judicial Circuit Dupage County, Illinois. Judge Chapman is one of the few judges nationally who has rendered a decision in an insurance coverage case for COVID-19 business losses and he discusses the urgency, significance and his approach for overseeing such a nationally prominent case.
Judge Chapman discusses why he finds being a judge a fascinating and rewarding job and what he misses from his private practice days. Judge Chapman pro…
2020-12-0252 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 9: Why Humans are Poor Decision Makers: Meet the Cognitive BiasIn order to survive the deluge of data and myriad of decisions we make every day, humans adopt short-cuts, or heuristics. Unfortunately, we often rely on flawed biases and stereotypes resulting in poor decisions. In an effort to make sense of it all Steve sits down with Shari Belitz, founder of Shari Belitz Communications. The two discuss how psychology impacts litigation and settlement. As a mediator, Steve discusses how it is important to encourage parties to slow down their thought proce…
2020-10-291h 09Opening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 8: What's Going On Out There? A Chat with a National Trial AttorneyMediator Steve Schulwolf continues to delve into COVID-19's impact on the legal profession. Episode 7 featured professor Julia Simon-Kerr who discussed how COVID-19 presents opportunities for the legal system to improve its assumptions about credibility and demeanor. Episode 8 looks at what courts around the country are actually doing as Steve talks with a national trial attorney, Matt Fischer, about the pandemic's impact. Mr. Fischer suggests that trial lawyers need to throw out their old…
2020-10-061h 00Opening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 7: The Legend of Zorro: Can we Trust the Masked Man?Episode 7: The Legend of Zorro – Can We Really Trust the Masked Man?
Mediator Steve Schulwolf and University of Connecticut School of Law professor Julia Simon-Kerr discuss the challenges and opportunities that COVID-19 presents the American legal system. As courts are preparing to reopen and conduct trials with COVID-19 protocols there is the need to balance safety and truth ascertaining considerations. Along these lines, Mr. Schulwolf asks the question of whether a masked witness can…
2020-08-2557 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 6: Play Ball -- Lessons from MLB negotiations in the time of COVID-19COVID-19 continues to try to ruin the fun. Steve discusses the recent negotiations between MLB and the player's union with sportswriter, Jim Margolis. Jim outlines the points of contention between the two sides while Steve discusses how mediators try to resolve disputes, like attempting to create a win-win scenario. The two discuss whether there will even be a season and how baseball and legal negotiations have been impacted by behavioral economics. Play ball.
2020-07-1450 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 5: Unfinished Business -- Additional Viewpoints on COVID-19 Coverage ClaimsSteve Schulwolf continues his discussions about insurance coverage for COVID-19 claims with Seth Lamden and Dan Litchfield. Mr. Lamden is a partner at the Chicago office of Neal Gerber Eisenberg and represents policyholders. Mr. Litchfield is a founding partner of the Litchfield Cavo in Chicago and has a national practice representing insurers. Messrs. Litchfield and Lamden were appearing in their personal capacity and not on behalf of their respective clients. Mr. Lamden suggested that…
2020-06-0951 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 4: A Mediator's Round (Kitchen) Table: Insurance Coverage for COVID-19 ClaimsWith the economy grinding down to a crawl due to COVID-19 the issue of whether there is insurance coverage is hotly debated and businesses have already filed lawsuits asking their insurers to cover lost income due to the virus and stay at home orders. Steve conducts a round table from his (rectangular) kitchen table in Austin, Texas. Joining him are two outstanding attorneys, Marc Shrake of Freeman Mathis & Gary out of Los Angeles, California and Frank Weiss of Tonkon Torp out of Portland, Oregon. Mr. Shrake typically represents insurance companies while Mr. Weiss represents policyholders. The three of them...
2020-05-1249 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 3: That was Funny, Right?Steve literally meets his guest, Caryn Carson, half-way in Waco, Texas. Ms. Carson is a lawyer by day, comedian by night and Steve and Ms. Carson discuss the use of humor in the courtroom and at mediation. The two discuss how different eras have handled and defined “inappropriate” attempts at humor and how difficult and contextual it is to draw the line. Steve notes that humor, when used correctly, can be a powerful tool for a mediator, but it can also alienate certain parties. That said, the law and mediation doesn’t always need to be so serious, so lighte...
2020-03-1652 minOpening Doors to Resolution: A Mediation PodcastEpisode 2: Finally, A Real ExpertSteve travels to Houston to discuss complex litigation with an environmental scientist, John Loper. They discuss the role of experts, whether Indian curry is a pollutant and the difficulties of evaluating, settling and negotiating environmental insurance coverage actions.
2020-02-2451 min2020-01-3136 min2019-12-2607 min