Alternative Dispute Resolution

Concerns about the expense and delay associated with traditional litigation in state and federal judicial systems have led to a national movement seeking alternative forms of dispute resolution. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) forums are increasingly preferred over court proceedings because they can provide faster, more cost-effective, and more confidential resolutions of disputes. In some cases, ADR forums may also allow the parties to select mediators and arbitrators whose expertise and specialized knowledge fit the issues in dispute. Navigating ADR forums, however, requires experience and a unique skill set, as the rules and procedures are varied and detailed.

The Gibbons ADR team has the knowledge and experience to assist in a wide range of ADR proceedings as diverse as our multifaceted litigation practice areas and the numerous industries we serve. Members of the ADR practice at Gibbons have served as neutrals and other court-appointed roles in a variety of settings, including:

  • Mediation
  • Arbitration
  • Special Master
  • Receiver
  • Special Fiscal Agent / Custodian
  • Bankruptcy Examiner
  • Executor/Administrator
  • Compliance Monitor
  • Moot Courts/Mock Trials

Gibbons’s ADR practice is chaired by the Hon. Noel L. Hillman (Ret.), who spent 18 years as a United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey and previously served as Chief of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) in Washington, D.C. He works alongside several esteemed colleagues, including James R. Zazzali, former Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and former New Jersey Attorney General.

Our diverse team has decades of experience in all areas of disputes, including commercial, construction, securities and products liability class actions, intellectual property, employment and labor relations, antitrust, consumer products, bankruptcy, probate, financial services, life sciences, and many more. Whether facilitating compromise and fostering settlements as mediators, presiding over complex arbitrations, serving as special masters as quasi-judicial officers executing significant court directives, or as compliance monitors acting to resolve and implement government enforcement actions, our third-party neutrals bring key insight both from the bench and as practitioners to resolve even the most difficult disputes.

Additionally, our ADR practitioners have represented clients in high-stakes disputes in a broad range of ADR forums, including the American Arbitration Association (AAA), JAMS, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and numerous other voluntary and/or court ordered ADR proceedings.  Whatever the forum, the issues in dispute, or your role in the proceedings, Gibbons lawyers have the experience and expertise to guide you through the world of alternatives to costly and protracted litigation.