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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

10 Ways to Make Arbitration Faster, Better, and Cheaper

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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

Copyright © 2015 John DeGroote Services, LLC 2

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

Copyright © 2015 John DeGroote Services, LLC

2. Eliminate the Outlier

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• 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?

Copyright © 2015 John DeGroote Services, LLC

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)

8

• 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

Copyright © 2015 John DeGroote Services, LLC