Jim Reiman, Arbitrator / Mediator

I am an arbitrator and mediator of domestic and international commercial disputes. In addition to being an experienced commercial trial and business attorney, I am an experienced businessperson. I sit on the boards of directors of public and private companies and have served as the CEO of public and private companies in the US, Canada and China. I teach and qualify senior attorneys in international arbitration as a faculty member and program director in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ Fellowship training/qualification programs, and I also teach negotiation to senior executives, government officials and professionals as part of the Oxford Programme on Negotiation at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Additionally, I am the author of the award winning book Negotiation Simplified, and I possess a solid understanding of patent and intellectual property rights – I hold 19 domestic and foreign issued patents on aerodynamic enhancement devices of which I am the co-inventor.

I commenced my career as a commercial litigator trying cases in Illinois State and Federal courts, and then transitioned my legal practice to business transactions and commercial/industrial real estate. After 18 years in private practice in Chicago, IL law firms I began a business career, initially developing and managing the e-commerce business of a NASDAQ listed auctioneer of fine collectibles, and subsequently as the CEO of one of China’s largest retailers of cell phones. I also served as the managing member and principal of a US and Canadian company that created and sold aerodynamic enhancement devices for heavy duty trucks.

As an attorney, I understand the complexities and nuances of business disputes and the process of domestic and international litigation and dispute resolution. As a businessman and consumer of legal services, I understand the business issues underlying commercial disputes and the challenges of satisfying all interested stakeholders. I am fluent in both “legalese” and “business-speak,” and bring my understanding of both to the dispute resolution process.

As an arbitrator, I strictly conform to the parameters of the applicable arbitration clause, striving to efficiently and fully decide all of the issues presented by the parties consistent with the terms of their agreement, the proven facts, and the law. Most arbitral rules impose upon the arbitrator a duty to effect an efficient and economical resolution of the dispute. I honor this duty by managing the process of the dispute, continuously balancing time, cost, and fairness.

As a mediator, I am both evaluative and facilitative. I bring the parties to “yes” by ferreting out the issues at the heart of a dispute and finding acceptable solutions to those matters as well as the issues that are the subject of the “noise.” My dual careers as an attorney and a businessperson provide me with insights and experiences that I tap to identify the core issues and facilitate the parties’ efficient negotiation of those matters. When appropriate, however, I will step out of the facilitative role and express my candid thoughts regarding the strengths, weaknesses and probable responses to asserted positions. I am deeply honored to be included in the American Arbitration Association’s Master Mediation Panel, which is comprised of the top mediators as rated by counsel and whose members are selected utilizing a rating committee made up of a diverse group of advocates and in-house counsel representing clients in complex, high stakes disputes.