High School

Many arbitrators have backgrounds in law and business, so you should take a college preparatory curriculum that includes classes in business, government, social studies, mathematics, science, psychology, and computer science. Arbitrators must be able to communicate effectively with claimants, as well as other arbitrators, so be sure to take speech and writing courses. Learning a foreign language—such as Spanish—will allow you to take on cases that involve claimants who do not speak English fluently or at all. Fluency in a foreign language will also allow you to work in other countries.

Postsecondary Education

Arbitrators typically enter the field after first working as lawyers, judges, or business executives, but others have backgrounds in engineering, scientific research, construction, and health care.

Your best educational approach is to major in a field that you are interested in and also take arbitration, mediation, and other conflict resolution courses. A bachelor’s degree may be sufficient for some arbitration careers, while some companies or government agencies may require arbitrators to have a law degree, a master’s in business administration, or some other advanced degree. Some arbitrators also earn master’s degrees in conflict resolution, dispute resolution, international arbitration, and related fields.

Additionally, arbitrators receive training through independent conflict resolution programs, national and local conflict resolution membership associations, government-authorized not-for-profit organizations (such as FINRA), and colleges and universities.

Certification

Many colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate certificates in arbitration, mediation, conflict resolution, dispute resolution, and related fields. For example, American University in Washington, D.C., offers an online certificate program in international commercial arbitration to students who complete nine educational modules. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.

Other Education or Training

Arbitrators can stay up to date with developments in their industries or specialization by taking classes and webinars that are offered by postsecondary institutions, online learning platforms, professional associations, and for-profit education providers. Additionally, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators offers a variety of classes on dispute resolution that will be useful to aspiring and current arbitrators. Visit https://www.ciarb.org/qualifications-development for more information.

Certification or Licensing

There is no certification available for arbitrators, but arbitration professionals can—or may be required—to obtain certification or licensing in their original profession. For example, every state requires that lawyers be admitted to the bar of that state before they can practice. An arbitrator who is also a practicing lawyer must also be admitted to the bar of their state. Some states require arbitrators to complete 20 to 40 hours of training in order to become certified to work on certain types of cases.

Arbitrators are typically attorneys, business executives, and retired judges with expertise in a particular field—such as finance, construction, shipping, or insurance. A minimum of three years of experience in one’s chosen field is needed to enter this career, but many employers and arbitration organizations (such as the American Arbitration Association) require applicants for arbitrator positions or rosters to have at least 10 years of experience.

Arbitrators need a variety of traits to be successful. For example, they must be excellent listeners in order to gather the pertinent information that they need to make a decision. They also need to be able to effectively question the parties involved in the dispute in order to obtain key information, and they need excellent writing ability in order to craft a decision that is concise and easy to understand by all parties. During arbitration hearings, arbitrators need to project authority and gravitas and establish—and enforce—ground rules for appropriate behavior. Hearings can become contentious, and the arbitrator must maintain order and decorum and have strong dispute management skills so that the process does not get out of control.

Arbitrators must have strong ethics and remain neutral during hearings. They cannot let their own biases or beliefs influence their judgment of the facts of a case. Other important traits include top-notch critical-thinking skills and analytical ability, decisiveness, strong time-management and organizational skills, and patience.