Admission

Admission to CCA is by invitation only. A candidate for fellowship must be nominated by a Fellow and seconded by two other Fellows. The CCA reviews candidates on an annual basis.

It is the goal of CCA to admit as Fellows those who have distinguished themselves as commercial arbitrators and have a strong interest in furthering the mission of the College. Fellows must commit to being active members of CCA, engaged in CCA activities and public service endeavors.

In reviewing the credentials of nominees, the Membership Committee evaluates the nominee’s breadth and depth of experience as a commercial arbitrator. The CCA Bylaws require that at the time of nomination, the nominee must have a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant and qualifying experience in the field of commercial arbitration, which must include substantial experience serving as a commercial arbitrator in cases in which final awards were issued. Prior judicial or relevant academic experience may be considered in assessing whether the requirements are met. Experience as an advocate in commercial arbitration may also be considered. In addition, the nominee must, in the opinion of the CCA, command respect in the relevant community of advocates, other arbitrators, and users of commercial arbitration.

CCA is committed to diversity in race, national origin and gender. CCA’s Outreach Committee is available to assist Fellows and potential candidates for Fellowship in understanding and satisfying CCA’s admission criteria.

Becoming a Member

Candidates for membership must be nominated by a current CCA Fellow and seconded by two other current CCA Fellows. The nominating Fellow is responsible for assembling and timely submitting the candidate’s nomination packet, which consists of the following:

• Letter from Nominating CCA Fellow, including affirmation that the nominee meets all of the membership criteria;
• Letters from two Seconding CCA Fellows;
• Nominee’s completed and signed Arbitration Experience Summary;
• Nominee’s Letter of Interest; and
• Nominee’s current CV.

The Arbitration Experience Summary should detail the nominee’s activities in the field of commercial arbitration, the number and types of disputes arbitrated, the complexity of the disputes arbitrated, the nominee’s inclusion on recognized commercial arbitration provider rosters, the nominee’s experience as a sole arbitrator, as chair of an arbitration panel, and as a wing arbitrator, and the nominee’s experience writing reasoned awards.

The CCA Bylaws require that at the time of nomination, the nominee must have a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant and qualifying experience in the field of commercial arbitration, which must include substantial experience serving as a commercial arbitrator in cases in which final awards were issued. Prior judicial or relevant academic experience may be considered in assessing whether the requirements are met. Experience as an advocate in commercial arbitration may also be considered.

In addition, the nominee must, in the opinion of the CCA, command respect in the relevant community of advocates, other arbitrators, and users of commercial arbitration. The nominee must be a member in good standing of a Bar in the United States or elsewhere. Alternatively, the nominee may be a non-lawyer who possesses substantial experience serving as a commercial arbitrator and who is currently listed on the roster or panel of a recognized arbitration services provider.

The Nomination Letter and Seconding Letters should specifically address the Fellow’s knowledge of the nominee’s performance as a commercial arbitrator, character and professional background.

Procedure

Admission to the College of Commercial Arbitrators (“CCA”) is by invitation only. A candidate for Fellowship must be nominated by a current CCA Fellow and seconded by two other current CCA Fellows. The CCA reviews candidates for membership on an annual basis. The CCA Board of Directors generally admits New Fellows after its Spring meeting (generally held in April).

A CCA Fellow may not nominate more than one candidate for membership per year (diversity nominations are not subject to this limit), nor may a CCA Fellow propose or second a nomination of a relative, a lawyer employed by a client of the Fellow or his/her firm, or any partner, associate or employee of any law firm or educational institution in which the Fellow is a partner or member. No current member of the CCA Membership Committee may nominate or second the nomination of a candidate for membership.

Deadline

A complete nomination package must be submitted by the nominating CCA Fellow and received by the Chair of the CCA Membership Committee by 5:00 p.m. EST on December 15th for the nominee to be considered for membership the following year.

A nominee whose nomination package is incomplete as of December 15th will not be considered for membership during the following year, but may, in the discretion of the CCA Membership Committee, be held over for consideration along with the following year’s class of nominees.

Considering Nominations

Nominations for membership are considered by the CCA Membership Committee, which, in turn, reports its recommendations to the CCA Executive Committee and the CCA Board of Directors. Admission is in the discretion and subject to approval by the CCA Board of Directors.

Appointments to the CCA Membership Committee are made by the President with a view toward having Fellows with diverse backgrounds and a variety of experience in the field of commercial arbitration participate in the membership process.

In reviewing the credentials of nominees, the Membership Committee is governed by the eligibility requirements in the CCA Bylaws and is guided by its evaluations of the nominee’s breadth and depth of experience in commercial arbitration, with particular emphasis on the nominee’s work as a commercial arbitrator in the previous ten (10) year period.

The CCA is committed to diversity in race, national origin, gender, and sexual orientation. The CCA’s Outreach Committee is available to assist CCA Fellows and potential candidates for membership in understanding and satisfying the CCA’s admission criteria.

It is the goal of the CCA to admit as Fellows those who have distinguished themselves as commercial arbitrators, have a strong interest in furthering the mission of the CCA as identified on the CCA website, and are committed to being actively engaged in the CCA’s activities and public service endeavors.

Nomination Forms

All candidates must provide to the nominator a completed Arbitration Experience Summary form, a letter of interest and a current CV. The required forms are linked below in Word and PDF formats and must accompany each application/nomination. Completed nomination packets shall be forwarded electronically to the CCA Membership Committee Co-Chairs, Alfred G. Feliu at afeliu@feliuadr.com, and Deborah Mastin at deborahmastin@gmail.com. Please send only completed packets via one integrated email, not separate documents or piecemeal submissions. If sent electronically, a hard copy need not be provided.

Click the file format next to the document name you wish to download.

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In the event of any conflict between this General Description and the CCA Bylaws, the Bylaws, as interpreted by the Board of Directors, shall govern. Decisions of the Board of Directors are made in its sole and absolute discretion.

Admissions Schedule