Profile

David Reif, FCIArb

Arbitrator/Mediator

I believe that parties to an arbitration want and deserve two things - an arbitrator who invests the time and effort necessary to provide a thoughtful, enforceable award and a hearing process which is timely, while allowing the parties sufficient room to prepare and present their case fully. I am committed to both these goals. As a former trial lawyer for over forty years, I understand the need for the parties to have the discovery appropriate to preparing their case. However, I also recognize that discovery can take over a case and that one of the major advantages of arbitration is that discovery is more limited. As former chair of a major law firm's electronic discovery working group, I am particularly familiar with techniques to reduce the costs of discovery and to make sure that it is related to the goals of the proceeding. While committed to allowing parties to "try their own case," I believe that an arbitration needs to be managed so as to bring about a timely, as well as legally and factually correct, result. Therefore, I am personally committed to keeping the arbitration moving forward. Since I am no longer practicing law or affiliated with a firm, I am not going to slow the case down due to my own trial dates; once hearing dates are set, I am committed to going forward on that date and, where necessary, to making myself available on short notice to resolve emergency matters or interlocutory disputes as quickly as possible. I am also committed to timely awards; I believe I should not be asking parties for extensions for me to do my work.

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