Jim Smith has served as an arbitrator in multiple contexts. He frequently is selected by parties to serve as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) where he is a member of the of the Large Complex Case Program Panel. He has served as chair or member of numerous arbitration panels. In addition, he has served as a single arbitrator in many private arbitrations. In addition to being a member of the AAA panel of arbitrators, he is a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, as well as the ADR Roundtable, a group of neutrals who meet regularly in Seattle, Washington.
While he has served as an arbitrator on many occasions and supports arbitration as a vehicle for resolving conflicts, he believes that arbitration should be a streamlined, cost-effective, and confidential method of dispute resolution. Arbitration should not duplicate the degree of discovery and involve the fees and costs incurred in a court proceeding. The process should be efficient and provide the parties with what they really need — i.e., resolution of their disputes by a highly qualified, skilled, and experienced decision-maker.