John Wilkinson

As a trial attorney, litigator and partner at Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine for more than 25 years, Wilkinson represented clients in numerous arbitrations, mediations, and trials of complex...

Experience

As a trial attorney, litigator and partner at Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine for more than 25 years, Wilkinson represented clients in numerous arbitrations, mediations, and trials of complex corporate disputes and class actions involving many different lines of business. He also headed Donovan Leisure’s public service program for many years. Wilkinson has served as mediator or arbitrator in hundreds of domestic and international cases in the past 25 years primarily involving complex, multi-party commercial disputes relating, among other things, to antitrust, computer systems, employment (executive), contracts, health care and pharmaceutical, energy, joint ventures, entertainment, franchising, insurance, sports, intellecttual property, investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, accounting, partnerships, hedge funds, publications, real estate (commercial), securities and telecommunications. He serves on the panels of neutrals of the American Arbitration Association; CPR Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (National and International Panels of Distinguished Neutrals); Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre; and Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration. Wilkinson has been recognized in a number of well known publications, including: --Best Lawyers in America, 2012. --Super Lawyers, NY Times Magazine, 2012. -- New York Area’s Best Lawyers, NY Magazine, 2012. --Marquis, Who’s Who in the World; Who’s Who in America, 2012. --Legal News, Top 3% of Attorneys in the U.S., 2009. --American Registry, America’s Most Honored Professionals, 2012. --American Lawyer, Top Lawyers, 2012.

Work History

Of Counsel, Fulton, Rowe & Hart, 1998-present; Partner/Associate, Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine, 1968-98; Clerk, Honorable Walter R. Mansfield, Southern District of New York, 1966-67.

Cases

Wilkinson has been selected as an arbitrator (often as chair) in an array of complex disputes involving, among other things, conflicting claims over who was the rightful owner of Israel’s leading English daily newspaper, the Jerusalem Post; a disputed claim under a political risk insurance policy based on the demise of a large power plant project in Inner Mongolia; alleged breach of a joint venture agreement to develop the port of Puerto Cabezas and its surrounding facilities in Nicaragua; a claim that a large volume of high security paper used for foreign currency was defective; claims arising from foreign licensing of a Broadway musical; claim of limited partners of a major league baseball team against the general partner; claimed mismanagement of 10 New York City office buildings; attempt to force dissolution of a $100 million limited partnership; issue of whether there had been compliance with the FCC’s Conditions of Merger in connection with the SBC/Ameritech merger; claim of illegal doping against an Olympic athlete; termination of a major real estate franchise in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore; failure to deliver several large shipments of crude oil from the middle east; claimed breach of a contract for the use of a celebrity’s name on a line of jewelry; alleged breach of a contract to generate and supply power in Guyana; asserted breach of a contract to provide interactive equipment, software and services in 30,000 Canadian homes; alleged breach of a joint venture to manufacture and sell pickup trucks in So. America; the allegedly wrongful termination of an internationally renowned fashion designer; alleged breach of a joint venture agreement related to the construction and implementation of a large electric power plant in England; asserted breach of a contract for the foreign manufacture and delivery of 500 rapid transit cars; claim that power company caused blackout which shut down and damaged a large factory; valuation of: (i) a corporate manufacturer of aircraft components; (ii) a New York City office building; and (iii) a regional shopping center; law firm disputes over breakup and/or partner withdrawals; asserted breaches regarding design and implementation of corporate- wide computer systems; responsibility for crash of commercial satellite rocket in the Ukraine; and a multi-billion dollar dispute arising from construction of a submarine fiber optic network around Latin America.

Training

Wilkinson has ben a trainer of arbitrators for the last four years for a substantial arbitration provider. Prior to that, he was an Instructor at AAA, arbitrator and mediator training programs. Also, he has taken the following training courses; AAA Commercial Arbitrator II Training, 2/02; AAA Arbitrator Update, 01; AAA/USATF Doping Grievance Arbitrator Training, 10/99; AAA Advanced Mediator Training, 3/96; AAA Large Complex Case Program Arbitrator Training, 4/93; AAA Commercial Arbitrator Training, 5/90; two day mediator training, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; mediator training, N.Y. Supreme Court (Commercial Division), N.Y. County; additional ADR training.

License(s)

Admitted to the Bar: New York, 1965; U.S. District Court: Southern (1968) and Eastern (1968)Districts of New York; U.S. Court of Appeals: Second (1981), Eleventh (1982), Third (1984), Fifth (1987) and Seventh (1990) Circuits.

Education

Williams College (BA-1962); Fordham Law School (LLB-1965); Note Editor, Law Review; Awards for highest grades in eight separate law school courses.

Publications

Wilkinson is co-author and editor of the ADR Practice Book (John Wiley & Sons), which received an award and honorarium as the best dispute resolution book of the year. In addition, he has authored numerous publications on arbitration and mediation, including the following, among many others: --Co-Author, NYS Bar Ass’n, Guidelines for the Arbitrator’s Conduct of the Pre-Hearing Phase of Domestic and International Commercial Arbitrations, Nov. 2011. --Co-Author, College of Commercial Arbitrators, Guide to Best Practices in Commercial Arbitration (2d ed. 2010). --Arbitratiion Tools, Increasing Efficiency Through Discovery Protocols, Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, March 2010. --Arbitration Contract Clauses, a Potential Key to a Cost-Effective Process, ABA Dispute Resolution Magazine, Fall 2009. --Arbitration Contract Clauses, GPSOLO (The Best Articles Published by the ABA), March 2010. --The Future of Arbitration, Striking a Balance Between Quick Justice and Fair Resolution of Complex Claims, BNA, Inc., April 21, 2008. --Streamlining Arbitration of the Complex Case, Dispute Resolution Journal, August 2000. --Managing the Large Complex Case, Dispute Resolution Journal, 1996. Wilkinson is a frequent speaker on arbitration and mediation to professional and bar organizations, corporate legal departments, and law school classes, as well as to groups such as the legal department of the Navy.

Associations

Wilkinson is a member of the ABA, the NYC Bar Ass’n and the N.Y. State Bar Ass’n and, in addition, serves or has served as: --Fellow, Board of Directors, College of Commercial Arbitrators(current). --Vice Chair, ABA Arbitration Committee (current). --Chair-Elect of the Dispute Resolution Section of the NY State Bar Ass’n (’NYSB DRS’) (current); --Executive Committee of the NYSB DRS (2008 to present). --Co-Chair, Arbitration Committee, NYSB DRS (2010-12). --Co-Chair, Mediation Committee, NYSB DRS (2008-10). --Member, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (current).

Miscellaneous

Citizenship: United States of America. Locale: New York, NY. Rate: $450/hr. for all time spent.