Arbitration agreement draft pdf

This arbitration agreement is between , an individual a(n) (the "Claimant") and , an individual a(n) (the "Respondent").

The Claimant has a claim against the Respondent arising out of a dispute over (the "Dispute").

The parties have decided to refer to and finally resolve the Dispute through arbitration under the applicable rules (the "Rules") of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution rather than in court.

This agreement is intended to serve as the parties' submission of the Dispute to arbitration and sets forth the terms on which the arbitration will be conducted.

The parties therefore agree as follows:

1. SUBMITTAL TO ARBITRATION.

The parties shall not litigate their Dispute. The Dispute shall be determined finally by binding arbitration conducted before the Arbitrator described below under the provisions set forth in this agreement (the "Arbitration"). The parties will abide by and perform any ruling, judgment, or award issued by the Arbitrator, and any court having jurisdiction may enter judgment on the award.

2. INITIATION OF ARBITRATION.

To initiate the arbitration process, the Claimant must file a written claim with the governing authority. Claims can be filed at the office of , , , , or online at . The Claimant shall serve the claim on the Respondent in accordance with the Rules.

3. ARBITRATOR.

There shall be three arbitrators (the "Arbitrators"), appointed as follows: The parties have selected as the sole arbitrator (the "Arbitrator") for the resolution of the Dispute. The Arbitrator has reviewed this agreement and agreed to serve. If the Arbitrator becomes unable to serve for any reason, a replacement arbitrator will be promptly selected by the parties or, if the parties cannot agree, appointed by the Arbitrator . pursuant to the Rules.

(a) each party shall appoint an Arbitrator, and these two appointed Arbitrators shall appoint a third Arbitrator, who shall act as chairman of the tribunal;
(b) if either party fails to appoint an Arbitrator within days of receipt of notice of the appointment of an Arbitrator by the other party, such Arbitrator shall at the written request of either party be appointed by ;
(c) if the two Arbitrators to be appointed by the parties fail to agree on a third Arbitrator within days of the appointment of the second Arbitrator, the third Arbitrator shall be appointed at the written request of either party by ;
(d) if a vacancy arises because any Arbitrator dies, resigns, refuses to act, or becomes incapable of performing his or her duties, the vacancy shall be filled by the method by which that Arbitrator was originally appointed.

4. HEARING.

The place of Arbitration shall be , . The Arbitrator s shall set the specific location, date, and time for the hearing in this case (the "Hearing") after consulting with the parties, and provide no fewer than twenty days' notice to each party when he or she has they have determined the specific location, date, and time.

5. APPLICABLE LAW AND RULES.

(a) Applicable Law. The agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of . Judgment on the award rendered by the Arbitrator s may be entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof. The Arbitrator s shall determine the Dispute in accordance with the substantive law of the state of , exclusive of its conflict-of-law rules.
(b) Arbitration Rules. The Arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the Rules. In the event of a conflict between this agreement and the Rules, this agreement shall govern. The rules applicable to attorney-client and work-product privileges, and to settlement offers, will be honored in the Arbitration as though the case were being determined in a state or federal court.
(c) Familiarity with Rules. The parties hereby state that they have read the procedures and are familiar with the Rules relating to arbitration.

6. PRELIMINARY RELIEF.

Either party may apply to the Arbitrator s for injunctive relief to maintain the status quo until a final award is rendered or the Dispute is otherwise resolved. Any such preliminary measures ordered by the Arbitrator s may be specifically enforced by any court of competent jurisdiction. Either party also may, without waiving any remedy under this agreement, apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for any interim or provisional relief reasonably necessary to protect the rights or property of either party.

7. DISCOVERY.

The Arbitrator s shall permit and facilitate such discovery as it determines they determine is appropriate in the circumstances, taking into account the needs of the parties, the needs of witnesses, and the desirability of making discovery fair, efficient, and cost-effective. Such discovery may include pre-hearing depositions, particularly depositions of witnesses who will not appear personally to testify, if there is a demonstrated need therefor. The Arbitrator s may issue orders to protect the confidentiality of proprietary information, trade secrets, and other sensitive information disclosed in discovery. The Arbitrator s may establish deadlines for exchanging evidence and exhibits, pre-marking exhibits, disclosing witnesses, and other pre-hearing matters in an appropriate case. Such measures will not be employed in every case, however, in an effort to maintain the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the arbitration process. Consistent with the expedited nature of arbitration, each party shall, on the written request of the other party, promptly provide the other party with copies of documents relevant to the issues raised by any claim, cross claim, or counterclaim. Any dispute regarding discovery, or the relevance or scope of the discovery, shall be determined by the Arbitrator chair of the arbitration panel , which determination shall be conclusive. All discovery shall be completed within 45 60 days following the appointment of the Arbitrator s .

8. CONDUCT OF HEARING.

(a) Management of Proceedings. The Arbitrator s shall manage the proceedings as he or she they deem s appropriate so as to make the Arbitrator s expeditious, economical, and less burdensome than litigation.

(b) Powers. The Arbitrator s may:

(i) Award any relief that could be awarded by a court;
(ii) Hear and decide the Dispute on the evidence presented even if a party notified of the date and time of the Hearing fails to appear;

(iii) To provide for speed and efficiency,

A. limit issues and discovery to focus on the core of the Dispute,
B. limit the time allotted to each party for presentation of its case, and
C. exclude testimony and other evidence it they deem s irrelevant, cumulative, or inadmissible; and

9. AWARD.

(a) Form of Award. The award will be a reasoned award, and will be issued in writing and signed by the Arbitrator s within days of the conclusion of the Hearing . The Arbitrator s may make specific findings of fact or law. The award will be based on the evidence presented and the law argued by the parties. The award will be a decision only, without opinion or reasoning and if in favor of the Claimant, shall specify only the amount of damages awarded.
(b) Timing. The award shall be rendered within months of the commencement of the Arbitration, unless this time limit is extended by the Arbitrator s . Barring extraordinary circumstances, Arbitration proceedings will be concluded within days from the date the Arbitrator s are is appointed. The arbitral tribunal may extend this time limit in the interests of justice. Failure to adhere to this time limit shall not constitute a basis for challenging the award.
(c) Written Statement. Before rendering the final award, the Arbitrator s shall submit to the parties an unsigned draft of the proposed award. Within business days after receiving this draft, a party may serve on the other party and file with the Arbitrator s a written statement outlining any claimed errors of fact, law, computation, or other ("Written Statement"). Within business days after receipt of the Written Statement of each party, the Arbitrator s shall render its their final award.
(d) Damages. The Arbitrator s is are not empowered to award punitive or other damages not measured by the prevailing party's actual damages, except as may be required by statute. Each party hereby irrevocably waives any right to recover damages with respect to the Dispute. The Arbitrator s is are empowered to award punitive damages in excess of compensatory damages. If punitive damages are awarded, the Arbitrator s will separately state those damages and set forth the factual and legal basis for that portion of the award. However, in no event may a punitive damage award exceed .
(e)Costs. In the final award, the Arbitrator s will split the costs of the Arbitration evenly between the parties or as the Arbitrators deem Arbitrator deems just and equitable. Fees. In the final award, the Arbitrator s is are authorized and encouraged to award, as it they deem deems fair and just, to the Party deemed by the Arbitrator s to be the prevailing party, that party's costs and fees. "Costs and fees" means all reasonable pre-award expenses of the Arbitration, including the Arbitrator 's s' fees, administrative fees, travel expenses, out-of-pocket expenses such as copying and telephone, court costs, witness fees, and attorneys' fees.

10. CONFIDENTIALITY.

Except as may be required by law, parties, witnesses, and arbitrators may not disclose the existence, content, or results of any Arbitration without the prior written consent of both parties.

11. CONSIDERATION.

In addition to any other consideration, each party's promise to resolve the Dispute by Arbitration in accordance with the provisions of this agreement, rather than through the courts or other bodies, is consideration for the other party's promise.

12. EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY.

The Arbitrator s shall not be liable to any party for any act or omission in connection with any Arbitration conducted under this agreement.

13. AMENDMENTS.

No amendment to this agreement will be effective unless it is in writing and signed by a party or its authorized representative.

14. ASSIGNMENT AND DELEGATION.

(a) No Assignment. Neither party may assign any of its rights under this agreement, except with the prior written consent of the other party. All voluntary assignments of rights are limited by this subsection.
(b) No Delegation. Neither party may delegate any performance under this agreement, except with the prior written consent of the other party.
(c) Enforceability of an Assignment or Delegation. If a purported assignment or purported delegation is made in violation of this section, it is void.

15. COUNTERPARTS; ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES.

(a) Counterparts. The parties may execute this agreement in any number of counterparts, each of which is an original but all of which constitute one and the same instrument.
(b) Electronic Signatures. This agreement, agreements ancillary to this agreement,and related documents entered into in connection with this agreement are signed when a party's signature is delivered by facsimile, email, or other electronic medium. These signatures must be treated in all respects as having the same force and effect as original signatures.

16. SEVERABILITY.

If any one or more of the provisions contained in this agreement is, for any reason, held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any respect, that invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability will not affect any other provisions of this agreement, but this agreement will be construed as if those invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provisions had never been contained in it, unless the deletion of those provisions would result in such a material change so as to cause completion of the transactions contemplated by this agreement to be unreasonable.

17. NOTICES.

(a) Writing; Permitted Delivery Methods. Each party giving or making any notice, request, demand, or other communication required or permitted by this agreement shall give that notice in writing and use one of the following types of delivery, each of which is a writing for purposes of this agreement: personal delivery, mail (registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return-receipt requested), nationally recognized overnight courier (fees prepaid), facsimile, or email.
(b) Addresses. A party shall address notices under this section to a party at the following addresses:
If to the Claimant:

If to the Respondent:

(c) Effectiveness. A notice is effective only if the party giving notice complies with subsections (a) and (b) and if the recipient receives the notice.

18. WAIVER.

No waiver of a breach, failure of any condition, or any right or remedy contained in or granted by the provisions of this agreement will be effective unless it is in writing and signed by the party waiving the breach, failure, right, or remedy. No waiver of any breach, failure, right, or remedy will be deemed a waiver of any other breach, failure, right, or remedy, whether or not similar, and no waiver will constitute a continuing waiver, unless the writing so specifies.

19. ENTIRE AGREEMENT.

This agreement constitutes the final agreement of the parties. It is the complete and exclusive expression of the parties' agreement about the subject matter of this agreement. All prior and contemporaneous communications, negotiations, and agreements between the parties relating to the subject matter of this agreement are expressly merged into and superseded by this agreement. The provisions of this agreement may not be explained, supplemented, or qualified by evidence of trade usage or a prior course of dealings. Neither party was induced to enter this agreement by, and neither party is relying on, any statement, representation, warranty, or agreement of the other party except those set forth expressly in this agreement. Except as set forth expressly in this agreement, there are no conditions precedent to this agreement's effectiveness.

20. HEADINGS.

The descriptive headings of the sections and subsections of this agreement are for convenience only, and do not affect this agreement's construction or interpretation.

21. EFFECTIVENESS.

This agreement will become effective when all parties have signed it. The date this agreement is signed by the last party to sign it (as indicated by the date associated with that party's signature) will be deemed the date of this agreement.

22. NECESSARY ACTS; FURTHER ASSURANCES.

Each party shall use all reasonable efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions necessary or desirable to consummate and make effective the transactions this agreement contemplates or to evidence or carry out the intent and purposes of this agreement.

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

Each party is signing this agreement on the date stated opposite that party's signature.

Date:______________________________	By:____________________________________________________________
Name: Title:
Date:______________________________	By:____________________________________________________________
Name: Title: