THE VIOLENT FAMILY

This article focuses on the lawyer-client relationship when there is domestic violence. Explained are the dynamics of domestic violence, its often hidden nature and cycle. The article also describes the characteristics to look for and provides profiles of the abused and the abuser.     

INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF MEDIATION

Mediation has evolved, grown, and been accepted within our society from preschools to doctoral programs and in courts, legislatures, and private industry. The passage of the Uniform Mediation Act, the birth of the Association of Conflict of Resolution, and the involvement of government bodies in the regulation of mediators indicate the importance of the institutionalization of mediation within every aspect of our society. This article focuses on a few of the hot issues currently swirling in the field raising questions for practitioners, researchers, and others involved in shaping access to conflict resolution policy and the future of the mediation profession.     

Effect of Heat on the Fluorescence Properties of Tooth‐Colored Restorative Materials and Their Forensic Implications

During antemortem and postmortem comparison of dental records of carbonized victims, restorations may be part of such records. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat on the fluorescence behavior of contemporary tooth‐colored restorative materials and natural tooth structure when subjected to range of temperatures, using illumination with 405 nm wavelength light. A total of 132 human extracted teeth restored with tooth‐colored restorative materials were exposed to heat (200, 500, 900, 1200°C) in an oven for 30 min. Samples were imaged before and after heat treatment. All tooth‐colored restorative materials underwent changes in color and in fluorescence properties, at each of the temperatures used. Resin‐based restorative materials still fluoresced at 200°C, and at 500°C underwent major color changes due to volatilization of resin. Materials containing inorganic fluorophores still fluoresced at 900°C, while at 1200°C, none of the materials tested in this study showed any fluorescence.     

Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Family Law Practice

For attorneys who engage in matrimonial practice, work is often performed by a sole practitioner. While members of other professions have already demonstrated that interdisciplinary practice and teamwork are integral to efficiency, client satisfaction, and career success, matrimonial attorneys are just beginning to work in deliberately constructed interdisciplinary teams. In this article, we examine the definition of teamwork and highlight the characteristics of an effective team, drawing examples from the business, medical, and mental health fields. We then determine how successful teams are built and explore the application of such approaches within matrimonial practice, offering recommendations for research and effective use of teams to help families that are facing conflict and reorganization.     

Signals from the Tenth Justice: The Political Role of the Solicitor General in Supreme Court Decision Making

Conventional explanations of the solicitor general's influence on the Supreme Court emphasize his expertise or experience. We articulate and test a more political account based on insights from signaling theory. We argue justices will be more receptive to signals from the solicitor general (S.G.) when either the justice and S.G. are ideologically proximate or the S.G.'s signal is contrary to his ideological predisposition. We test our account over the period from 1953 to 2002 using a newly developed interinstitutional measure of ideology that places executive and judicial actors on the same spatial scale. Our results highlight the political nature of the S.G.'s influence, challenging the received wisdom about the S.G.'s impact on the Supreme Court.     

Altruistic and private valuations of risk reduction

To remedy the neglect of altruism in benefit assessments for risk regulation programs, this article reports the findings of a new survey of 785 consumers regarding their valuation of two pairs of risks from insecticide. The risk-dollar tradeoffs revealed by consumers averaged $2,080 and $3,680 per injury pair prevented within the household; they were willing to pay $5.01 and $9.06 per 1000 injury pairs prevented in the rest of the state and $1.72 and $2.39 for each 1000 injury pairs avoided elsewhere in the United States. The summed altruistic values for other individuals exceeded the private valuations, which suggests that altruism may be an important benefit component.