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Arbitrator Resume

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 3:04 PM | Anonymous

Resume word stock image. Image of professional, letter - 15075033

Besides background experience, expertise, education, speaking engagements, fees, etc., what other information should an arbitrator's resume contain and why? Should it list how many cases served on to award and times served as a chairperson? Should it confirm whether or not the arbitrator is willing to do either virtual (listing types of platforms) and/or in person hearings? What are your thoughts on including a photo and/or video? Is it important to self-identify race and gender on the resume?

What are your thoughts?

Comments

  • Thursday, November 13, 2025 1:32 PM | Jane summers
    here to learn
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  • Thursday, November 13, 2025 2:08 PM | Robert Flack
    On Professional Resumes:

    What are we, Robots?
    Transactions per hour? Settlement Bating Averages? Typing Speed?

    One GC (not friend of mine) used the KPI of cost per page to judge
    attorney value and productivity.

    The key attribute for a Neutral is PERSPECTIVE, in the law, in the process,
    in the character of the pleadings and in the integrity of the witnesses.

    Sure, experience counts. But simple recitation of the number of cases
    handled is NOT ADEQUATE. How can you determine the difference
    between 10 years of experience and 1 year of experience 10 times?
    200 cases; so what?

    Standard format resumes reduce the opportunity to express those critical
    elements of a candidate’s background that should be the deciding criteria.
    Why make it easier for those who would reduce value to a simple metric?

    About headshots and video, I am reminded of the advice given to those in
    my business school class as we earned our MBAs: attach a picture with your
    resume so that the HR dept doesn’t have to guess your gender, ethnicity or
    age. The presenter was an alumni who then was head of HR at a large local
    employer.

    Why make it easier to make the wrong decision?

    Efficiency or effectiveness? Choose balance!
    Link  •  Reply
    • Thursday, November 13, 2025 3:11 PM | Raoul Drapeau
      I like Robert Flask's comment - what kind of information best servers the interest of the prospective litigant and arbitrator? The usual resume items that everyone wants might not help someone searching for just the right arbitrator to make the right decision. But I do think that a statement from the arbitrator laying out how they approach a case and the kind of cases they prefer might be useful.
      Link  •  Reply
  • Thursday, November 13, 2025 3:30 PM | Igor Ellyn, FCIArb. Toronto, Canada
    A resume item referring to how many awards the arbitrator has made could be misleading because it doesn't speak to what kinds of cases they were and the figure changes with each new award. On the other hand, prospects wish to be satisfied that the arbitrator has the requisite experience, so an approximate number and the types of cases could be useful. Membership on arbitration panels like AAA and ICDR are sort of a seal of approval of competence. So, these should be mentioned. Counsel also want assurance that the arbitrator is tech-savvy, knowledgeable, has a calm demeanor and good listening skills and is timely.

    In the post-COVID era, I think it is a presumption that an arbitrator will do both virtual and in-person hearings. I actually prefer virtual hearings in a cases involving many documents because it's easier to access the electronic documents on multiple screens and I find no compromise in the quality of the oral evidence.

    I agree that the arbitrator should attach a photograph to the resume It's human nature to form a mental image of people with whom we are about to transact. The mental image may be neutral and free of any positive or adverse bias but the absence of a picture may cause people to wonder why s/he doesn't want to show the face and that could be a basis for unjustified rejection.

    I think a video is overkill. A short snippet of the arbitrator in a hearing is not very instructive and no one has time or patience to watch a long video. A video in which the arbitrator recounts her or his experience is too self-laudatory, in my opinion, and is likely to turn off some counsel.
    Link  •  Reply
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