624 attend conference of Community Associations.The New Jersey chapter of Community Associations Institute The Community Associations Institute (CAI) is an influential trade association and special interest group, dominated by lawyers and community managers,[1] that petitions for legislative beneficence for its members. (CAI (1) (Computer-Assisted Instruction) Same as CBT. (2) See CA. CAI - Computer-Aided Instruction ), which represents New Jersey's more than 500,000 condominium dwellers, drew 624 participants and 90 exhibitors -- both record numbers -- to its 11th Annual Conference, held at the Ocean Place Hilton in Long Branch. The conference featured a keynote address keynote address n. An opening address, as at a political convention, that outlines the issues to be considered. Also called keynote speech. Noun 1. on avoiding litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. by Northwestern University Northwestern University, mainly at Evanston, Ill.; coeducational; chartered 1851, opened 1855 by Methodists. In 1873 it absorbed Evanston College for Ladies. professor Vivian Walker, Ph.D., a National trustee of CAI and an expert in alternative dispute resolution Procedures for settling disputes by means other than litigation; e.g., by Arbitration, mediation, or minitrials. Such procedures, which are usually less costly and more expeditious than litigation, are increasingly being used in commercial and labor disputes, Divorce techniques. Walker began her speech by noting that $20 billion is spent on litigation each year, before damages are awarded, but that 5 percent of all grievances never make it to court. Given this circumstance, one of CAI's major initiative for 1992 is resolving disputes early through arbitration or mediation. This method of avoiding heavy litigation costs has become a favored avenue to dispute resolution over the past several years -- unexpectedly with lawyers being its greatest advocates. "Attorneys are both the biggest supporters and the biggest detractors of alternative dispute resolution (ADR ADR - Astra Digital Radio ) techniques," said Walker, who recounted a number of anecdotes about lawyers who originally opposed ADR, but were later won over in real-life resolutions by its effectiveness. Walker also led one of the conference's most popular sessions, a seminar on mock arbitration, negotiation techniques and mediation. Billed "The Greatest Educational Show on Earth, "the conference offered 15 different seminars on a wide variety of topics related to community living and association management. Conference attendees included board members of community associations throughout New Jersey, who generally are unpaid residents without backgrounds in professional management. Among the seminars was "A Highwire View of Trenton, "a legislative update, which featured Ron Perl of the law firm Perl, Karpoff & Kessler, and Michael Pesce of Community Management Corporation (both CAI's legislative committee). Moderated by Mark Rosen of The Solomon Organization, the seminar focused on the most recent legal developments effecting New Jersey Association dwellers. |
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