Davis & Wright’s arbitration practice offers attorneys with extensive experience in all areas of civil litigation to serve as arbitrators in private arbitrations. Arbitration, along with its first cousin mediation, is a legal process usually referred to more generically as ADR or alternative dispute resolution. While mediation is typically a process whereby the mediator serves as a facilitator for a party-driven resolution of a dispute, arbitration is typically a more formal process where the arbitrator serves as a decision-maker analogous to a judge, swearing in witnesses, admitting evidence by way of documents and witness testimony and make a formal determination, i.e., the arbitrator’s award. Generally, the awards are not appealable except for extremely limited reasons, making the arbitration a significant and binding determination.

Because of the arbitration’s similarity to the traditional judicial decision-making process in civil courts, experience in litigation and civil trials has provided the practical training and education that we rely on as arbitrators.