10 ways to make arbitration faster, better, and cheaper
TRANSCRIPT
Copyright © 2015 John DeGroote Services, LLC
10 Ways to Make Arbitration
Faster, Better, and Cheaper
JAN 23, 2015
TexasBarCLE • Alternative Dispute Resolution Course • Austin
John DeGroote • Lionel M. Schooler
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1. Control the Process
• Be proactive
from the start
• Be specific about
what you want
• Write a clause
that works
“ “Control your own
destiny, or someone
else will.
- Jack Welch
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2. Eliminate the Outlier
3
• Constrain the
process
• Time
• Scope
• Limit damages
• Exclude remedies
• Limit your
arbitrator’s
authority
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3. Pick a Better Arbitrator
4
• Agree in advance
• To an arbitrator
• To a process
• Do your
homework
• What do you
know about her…
• Expertise?
• Approach?
• Efficiency?
• Integrity?
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4. Get a Scheduling Order that Works
5
• It’s not litigation
• The dispute
is narrow
• Discovery can
be tailored
• e-Discovery can
be limited
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5. Present Evidence More Efficiently
6
• Do you need
direct
testimony?
• Can your
arbitrator read
depo excerpts?
• Will evidence
summaries
work?
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6. Appoint Three Arbitrators as a Check
7
• There’s safety
in numbers
• Three heads are
better than one
• A substitute
for appeals?
• But…
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7. Recognize that 3 > (3 x 1)
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• Three sets
of fees
• Three schedules
• …and the work
expands to fill
the time
• Debate takes
time
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8. Pick Better Facilities
• Wi-Fi
• War rooms
• White boards
• Copiers
• Airport access
• Witness
convenience
• Caliber of
hotel/amenities
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9. Keep the Client Involved
• Part of the
solution, or part
of the problem?
• Visibility into
delays, costs,
and more
• What’s the
incremental
value of another
deposition?
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10. Build in an Appellate Procedure
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• Appeals within
arbitration
aren’t new
• But they’re a
function of
your agreement
• And the record
must support
them