PREMi - Professional Resolution Experts of Michigan, LLC
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Oakland County Legal News
July 2026
ABA Ethics Opinion 518 and
Its Effects On Mediators, Mediation, and Mediator Proposals
By Paul F. Monicatti
Introduction
Last fall the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility issued Formal Opinion 518…
While it was based on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers, nevertheless it impacts mediations conducted by non-lawyers and non-ABA attorneys who act as third-party neutral mediators as explained below. The extent of its impact is still open to further development. This article will…
Mediator of the Month
Paul Monicatti has been an arbitrator since 1983 and a mediator since 1986 in all areas
of law except family law and criminal law. He served as court-appointed Settlement Master in federal court when he helped resolve two major Flint, Michigan water contamination-related cases in 2017 and in state court when he helped resolve nearly all of the multi-billion-dollar Dow Corning breast implant insurance coverage litigation involving 112 defendants in the mid-1990s. His settlement of Flint’s unprecedented water contamination premediation case was hailed by The Washington Post and Associaed Press on August 20, 2020 as a landmark deal. He also served as the party-selected Mediator in federal court when he helped resolve the largest fair housing discrimination case in U.S. history in the early 1990s. As an independent, impartial, professional…
We are PREMi!
PREMi is an organization of attorney dispute resolution experts who have numerous years of experience in both conflict resolution processes and subject matter knowledge in many industries and disciplines.
What WE Do…
Courtroom litigation can be expensive in both dollars and time.
That’s why you need PREMi.
Mediation: For lasting resolutions
Why PREMi? PREMi’s independent mediators have years of experience successfully helping parties settle a wide variety of disputes. Mediation allows the parties to shape their own resolutions, resulting in agreements that last.
What is mediation? A PREMi…
Arbitration: A Streamlined process to reach a decision
PREMi can customize an arbitration process to your unique case. We are innate problem solvers with a full range of subject matter expertise, able to focus on the issues and facts in the case and determine the right process. Feel free to call us Today.
Med-arb: An adaptation to conventional arbitration
Med-Arb is a combination of both resolution processes – Mediation and Arbitration. The parties agree in advance that they will first try to resolve the matter by mediation, and if they are not successful in resolving the dispute, then a PREMi…
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Dedicated Dispute
Resolution Expert
PREMi is prepared to help you find
the right ADR professional – the best fit for
process and subject matter expertise-to meet
the unique needs of your dispute.
Contact Executive Director Bill Weber Who
will walk you through your options.
Plan a First Meeting
Whether by text, email, phone, video conference, or in person, PREMi will facilitate the first contact among attorneys and parties to help you design a dispute resolution process to fit your particular dispute. Do you need a facilitator, evaluator, negotiation coach, or an arbitrator? How many sessions? Who should attend? A PREMi professional can help you answer these critical questions and more.
Find the Right Mediator
A legal dispute can be one of the most difficult experiences a person may ever deal with. It is important that your mediator is a “good fit” for all participants and that the mediator is effective in resolving the dispute.
Contact
Phone
248-385-3488
Address
PREMi
PO Box 191
Birmingham, MI 48012-0191