Opinion ID: 2564358
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Agreement Between UPW and Dawson

Text: On February 24, 2000, UPW entered into a two-year contract with Dawson [hereinafter, the Plan Agreement] [3] under which Dawson was to administer a prepaid legal service plan (the Plan) for the benefit of approximately 11,000 to 12,000 state and county employees in collective bargaining Units 1 and 10. [4] The Plan was established to provide eligible unit employees [hereinafter, the covered employees] access to certain free or discounted legal services. Specifically, Dawson agreed, inter alia, to select a qualified referral panel of licensed attorneys, and UPW agreed to make monthly premium payments to Dawson. Premiums were to be paid by the state and county employers to UPW, and, in turn, UPW was to transfer the premiums to Dawson. Upon receipt, Dawson was required to place the prepaid premiums in a segregated account (the reserve) to be disbursed at its discretion to pay for the Plan's attorneys, operation of the Plan, legal education, research, and other uses, such as increasing benefits to the covered employees. The Plan Agreement also contained the following dispute resolution procedures [hereinafter, the dispute resolution provisions]: 5.01 Notice of Violation. Should either party allege a violation of this Agreement, the party alleging the violation shall notify in writing the other party of the alleged violation within thirty (30) days of the alleged violation or within thirty (30) days of realizing the alleged violation. 5.02 Violation Resolution. Should the violation not be resolved within thirty (30) days after notification of the violation[,] the resolution procedure as provided in Section 5.03 shall apply. 5.03 Resolution Procedure. The parties shall submit the violation to mediation before resorting to arbitration. The mediator(s) shall be selected by mutual agreement of the parties. In the event the violation is not resolved in mediation[,] the violation shall be submitted to arbitration. Within fifteen (15) days after the conclusion of mediation[,] the parties shall select an Arbitrator by mutual agreement. Negotiations, mediation or arbitration shall be conducted on O`ahu, Hawai`i. (Underscored and bold emphases in original.) The Plan Agreement became effective on April 3, 2000 and was to expire on March 31, 2002.