Prawnik jako peacemaker – przeprosiny, przebaczenie, pojednanie w opanowywaniu sporów prawnych

The constant search, research and application of various, amicable forms of dispute resolution, including those using institutions such as apology, forgiveness and reconciliation, should be considered as justified, as it can bring benefits in the individual, interpersonal and social spheres. The aim of the article is to present the specific professional or social role that lawyers can perform, especially during dispute resolution, known as lawyer as peacemaker. This paper describes the understanding of the lawyer’s specific role as a peacemaker, based on the author’s concept of a holistic approach to law and legal practice. The paper analyses the essence of the institution of apology, forgiveness and reconciliation, which are particularly significant for the practice of alternative dispute resolution, based on peacemaking. Finally, selected Polish civil and criminal law regulations referring to apology, forgiveness or reconciliation are identified.Stałe poszukiwanie, badanie i aplikowanie różnorodnych, polubownych form opanowywania sporów, w tym wykorzystujących takie instytucje, jak: przeprosiny, przebaczenie i pojednanie, należy uznać za jak najbardziej zasadne, gdyż może przynieść korzyści w wymiarze indywidualnym, interpersonalnym i społecznym. Celem artykułu jest przybliżenie specyficznej roli zawodowej lub społecznej, jaką mogą wykonywać prawnicy, określanej mianem lawyer as peacemaker. W toku rozważań przedstawiono przyjmowane rozumienie roli i celów prawnika jako peacemaker, bazujące na autorskiej koncepcji holistycznego podejścia do prawa i praktyki prawniczej. Następnie podjęto kwestie dotyczące istoty aktu przeprosin, przebaczenia i pojednania w kontekście opanowywania sporów prawnych zgodnie z tzw. peacemaking. Ponadto w tekście zidentyfikowane zostały regulacje polskiego prawa cywilnego i karnego odnoszące się do przeprosin, przebaczenia oraz pojednania

Objectives of Mediation and Selection and Implementation of Mediation Strategies and Techniques by Mediators in Civil Disputes – Study Report (Part III – Interviews)

Studies of understanding and identification of mediation objectives, strategies and techniques and the effectiveness of mediation proceedings are justified from the cognitive and practical perspectives. The aim of this paper is to present the report of an empirical study, devoted to the subject matter mentioned above, conducted by the author as part of the scientific activity financed by the Polish National Science Centre. The paper is complex in nature – it deals with the research, concept and methodological threads. The empirical study was conducted in Poland, with Polish mediators participating in it, providing mediation services mainly in one of the Mediation Centres operating at District Chambers of Legal Advisors, making up the National Network of Legal Advisor Mediation Centres. However, considering the universal and utilitarian nature of the issue in hand, the comparative potential, originality and cognitive value of the study findings may be of interest to both Polish and international scientists and practitioners of mediation as an amicable form of holistic legal dispute management. Given the scope and depth of the issues addressed, the article is divided into three parts. This text (part III) contains significant, selected data gleaned from in-depth interviews with mediators, as well as their concise discussion and major conclusions and the summary of the whole scientific activity

Mediacja obligatoryjna – uwagi na tle ustalania predyspozycji mediacyjnej sporu oraz obaw stron przed stosowaniem mediacji

The main aim of the article is to present the considerations concerning the issue of introducing mandatory mediation into the Polish legal system within the scope of business lawsuits as well as some other kinds of civil disputes with respect to determining their suitability for mediation and the parties’ concerns regarding the use of mediation. The choice of the subject matter and the aim of these considerations have been mainly inspired by the author’s practical experience of working as a mediator in civil disputes (including business cases) and the relevant statistics concerning mediation proceedings held within the Business Mediation Center (BMC) at the District Chamber of Legal Advisers in Olsztyn. Introducing an obligation to mediate in selected types of disputes into the Polish social-legal system following an appropriate legislative and organizational preparation should, in principle, be considered beneficial as it might lead to popularizing mediation and making the most of its potential and advantages. Furthermore, expanding the citizens’ access to the broadly understood system of justice in its in- and out-of-court formula may result in reducing a backlog of cases in courts of justice and, in consequence, strengthening the idea of diversification in the justice system.Głównym celem artykułu jest podjęcie rozważań na temat wprowadzenia do polskiego systemu prawa mediacji obligatoryjnej w sprawach gospodarczych, a także w niektórych innych typach sporów cywilnych na tle identyfikacji tzw. predyspozycji mediacyjnej sporu oraz różnorodnych obaw stron przed stosowaniem mediacji, dotyczących postępowania mediacyjnego, osoby mediatora, właściwości osobistych strony lub zachowań strony przeciwnej. Wybór tematu i celu rozważań w istotny sposób zainspirowały doświadczenia praktyczne autora, wynikające z wykonywania profesji mediatora w sprawach cywilnych (w tym gospodarczych), oraz relewantne dane statystyczne dotyczące postępowań mediacyjnych prowadzonych w ramach Ośrodka Mediacji Gospodarczych (OMG) przy Okręgowej Izbie Radców Prawnych w Olsztynie. Odpowiednio legislacyjnie i organizacyjnie przygotowane wprowadzenie optymalnego dla polskiego systemu społeczno-prawnego modelu obligatoryjności mediacji w wybranych typach sporów należy ocenić jako działanie co do zasady korzystne, które może przynieść dalszą popularyzację stosowania i wykorzystania potencjału i zalet mediacji. Ponadto istotne jest zwiększenie dostępu obywateli do szeroko rozumianego wymiaru sprawiedliwości zarówno w formule sądowej, jak i pozasądowej, pożądane odciążenie i uzupełnienie pracy sądów, a w konsekwencji także wzmocnienie realizacji postulatu istnienia pluralizmu form wymiaru sprawiedliwości

Prawnik jako peacemaker – przeprosiny, przebaczenie, pojednanie w opanowywaniu sporów prawnych

Stałe poszukiwanie, badanie i aplikowanie różnorodnych, polubownych form opanowywania sporów, w tym wykorzystujących takie instytucje, jak: przeprosiny, przebaczenie i pojednanie, należy uznać za jak najbardziej zasadne, gdyż może przynieść korzyści w wymiarze indywidualnym, interpersonalnym i społecznym. Celem artykułu jest przybliżenie specyficznej roli zawodowej lub społecznej, jaką mogą wykonywać prawnicy, określanej mianem lawyer as peacemaker. W toku rozważań przedstawiono przyjmowane rozumienie roli i celów prawnika jako peacemaker, bazujące na autorskiej koncepcji holistycznego podejścia do prawa i praktyki prawniczej. Następnie podjęto kwestie dotyczące istoty aktu przeprosin, przebaczenia i pojednania w kontekście opanowywania sporów prawnych zgodnie z tzw. peacemaking. Ponadto w tekście zidentyfikowane zostały regulacje polskiego prawa cywilnego i karnego odnoszące się do przeprosin, przebaczenia oraz pojednania

Leadership emergence in a data-driven model of zebrafish shoals with speed modulation

Models of collective animal motion can greatly aid in the design and interpretation of behavioural experiments that seek to unravel, isolate, and manipulate the determinants of leader-follower relationships. Here, we develop an initial model of zebrafish social behaviour, which accounts for both speed and angular velocity regulatory interactions among conspecifics. Using this model, we analyse the macroscopic observables of small shoals influenced by an “informed” agent, showing that leaders which actively modulate their speed with respect to their neighbours can entrain and stabilise collective dynamics of the naïve shoal

Framing a Knowledge Base for a Legal Expert System Dealing with Indeterminate Concepts

Despite decades of development of formal tools for modelling legal knowledge and reasoning, the creation of a fully fledged legal decision support system remains challenging. Among those challenges, such system requires an enormous amount of commonsense knowledge to derive legal expertise. This paper describes the development of a negotiation decision support system (the Parenting Plan Support System or PPSS) to support parents in drafting an agreement (the parenting plan) for the exercise of parental custody of minor children after a divorce is granted. The main objective here is to discuss problems of framing an intuitively appealing and computationally efficient knowledge base that can adequately represent the indeterminate legal concept of the well-being of the child in the context of continental legal culture and of Polish law in particular. In addition to commonsense reasoning, interpretation of such a concept demands both legal expertise and significant professional knowledge from other domains

Web-Based Activity Within a Sexual Health Economy: Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Regular testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is important to maintain sexual health. Self-sampling kits ordered online and delivered in the post may increase access, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Sexual health economies may target limited resources more effectively by signposting users toward Web-based or face-to-face services according to clinical need. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to investigate the impact of two interventions on testing activity across a whole sexual health economy: (1) the introduction of open access Web-based STI testing services and (2) a clinic policy of triage and signpost online where users without symptoms who attended clinics for STI testing were supported to access the Web-based service instead. METHODS: Data on attendances at all specialist public sexual health providers in an inner-London area were collated into a single database. Each record included information on user demographics, service type accessed, and clinical activity provided, including test results. Clinical activity was categorized as a simple STI test (could be done in a clinic or online), a complex visit (requiring face-to-face consultation), or other. RESULTS: Introduction of Web-based services increased total testing activity across the whole sexual health economy by 18.47% (from 36,373 to 43,091 in the same 6-month period-2014-2015 and 2015-2016), suggesting unmet need for testing in the area. Triage and signposting shifted activity out of the clinic onto the Web-based service, with simple STI testing in the clinic decreasing from 16.90% (920/5443) to 12.25% (511/4172) of total activity, P<.001, and complex activity in the clinic increasing from 69.15% (3764/5443) to 74.86% (3123/4172) of total activity, P<.001. This intervention created a new population of online users with different demographic and clinical profiles from those who use Web-based services spontaneously. Some triage and signposted users (29.62%, 375/1266) did not complete the Web-based testing process, suggesting the potential for missed diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: This evaluation shows that users can effectively be transitioned from face-to-face to Web-based services and that this introduces a new population to Web-based service use and changes the focus of clinic-based activity. Further development is underway to optimize the triage and signposting process to support test completion

Data-driven stochastic modelling of zebrafish locomotion

In this work, we develop a data-driven modelling framework to reproduce the locomotion of fish in a confined environment. Specifically, we highlight the primary characteristics of the motion of individual zebrafish (Danio rerio), and study how these can be suitably encapsulated within a mathematical framework utilising a limited number of calibrated model parameters. Using data captured from individual zebrafish via automated visual tracking, we develop a model using stochastic differential equations and describe fish as a self propelled particle moving in a plane. Based on recent experimental evidence of the importance of speed regulation in social behaviour, we extend stochastic models of fish locomotion by introducing experimentally-derived processes describing dynamic speed regulation. Salient metrics are defined which are then used to calibrate key parameters of coupled stochastic differential equations, describing both speed and angular speed of swimming fish. The effects of external constraints are also included, based on experimentally observed responses. Understanding the spontaneous dynamics of zebrafish using a bottom-up, purely data-driven approach is expected to yield a modelling framework for quantitative investigation of individual behaviour in the presence of various external constraints or biological assays. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00285-014-0843-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Individual moulds for contact pulsed dose rate brachytherapy in head and neck cancer

AimTo present three cases treated with contact pulsed dose rate (PDR) brachytherapy using individually prepared moulds.Materials/MethodsThe study group included one case of hard palate cancer treated with brachytherapy, applied as a boost to external beam radical irradiation and two cases of recurrent ethmoid and maxillary sinus cancer in which we administered palliative brachytherapy as the sole treatment for tumours located within previously irradiated areas.ResultsGood fitting of the moulds to the target was obtained. Satisfactory local control, including complete hard palate cancer remission for six years, and acceptable side effects were achieved.ConclusionsContact PDR brachytherapy using individually constructed moulds allows for the treatment of anatomical structures with difficult access. This method seems to be an effective and relatively safe treatment option for tumours located within previously irradiated areas