To arbitrate or Not to Arbitrate, That is the Question
Thursday, 23 April 2026
12:00 PM Eastern / 9:00 AM Pacific (60 Min)
Hosted on ZOOM by JURIS Conferences
(Co-sponsorsed by the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association)
Join us for a fireside chat with College of Commercial Arbitrators Fellows Loretta Gastwirth and Steven Certilman as they examine the key considerations lawyers face when deciding whether to include arbitration clauses in their agreements. The panelists will explore these considerations, along with key drafting issues, to help guide corporate practitioners in making informed decisions, including:
✔️Who is your client, what is its business, and how much money will likely be in dispute?
✔️What is likely to be the subject of the dispute, and will third parties be involved?
✔️When should arbitration be commenced, will emergency relief be necessary, and should mediation be pursued first?
✔️Where should the arbitration be held, will the venue be convenient to a party’s business, and what law will apply?
✔️How should the arbitration be conducted, before a single arbitrator or a panel, and which administering organization should be selected?
✔️Why choose arbitration, considerations of confidentiality, arbitrator expertise, and the expected time to resolution.
This 60‑minute CLE‑eligible session will highlight topics and techniques from The CCA Guide to Best Practices in Commercial Arbitration (Fifth Edition)
NYS CLE credit (transitional and non-transitional) in the Areas of Professional Practice (1.0 credit hours). A certificate of attendance will be provided upon request which may be used when applying to all other jurisdictions.
Speakers
Loretta M. Gastwirth is an independent Arbitrator and Mediator and former Partner at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP. Loretta serves as an arbitrator and mediator on the Commercial, Construction, Employment and Consumer panels of the American Arbitration Association and its International Centre for Dispute Resolution and as a Mediator for the New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division Courts. Loretta has been recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in America in Arbitration and received many accolades from Long Island Business News. She is the Chair-Elect of the New York State Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section and a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and Co-Chair of its Education Committee.
Steven Certilman is a full time arbitrator and mediator with thirty-eight years of experience as a domestic and international commercial arbitrator and mediator and forty years of experience in corporate and commercial law and commercial litigation. He has extensive experience in areas such as M&A, shareholder disputes, IT, insurance, real estate, T&E and IP and is a member of the AAA, ICDR, CPR, CAfA, and numerous other arbitration panels worldwide. He is also a member of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation center Tech List. Mr. Certilman is a Chartered Arbitrator and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, a CEDR Accredited Mediator (London, England) and a Fellow of the American and New York State Bar Foundations.
This program will include optional audience participation in a Q&A with panelists.
Please note that this conference will be recorded and may be made available by JURIS Publishing after the event. Audience members will not be visible in the recording.