American
Arbitration Association Seeks CPA Panelists
The American Arbitration Association
and the AICPA are offering qualified CPAs an opportunity
to provide alternative dispute resolution services. Each
year the AAA provides administrative services to
thousands of business people to resolve disputes with
vendors, customers and employees. In many of these cases
the parties would benefit if the panel included an
arbitrator with accounting and financial knowledge.
Furthermore, with more than 100
different industry panels, the AAA and the AICPA have
joined to expand the roster of neutrals with CPAs who
have broad knowledge of a particular industry and have
extensive, in-depth experience in providing professional
services to it. For those in a developed industry niche,
there is a good chance an AAA panel will match your
knowledge and experience.
In addition to demonstrating expertise
in a particular industry, a good arbitrator candidate
must possess sound judgment, high integrity and a
judicial temperament. Previous experience as an
arbitrator is not required. The process for
applying to be an arbitration panelist includes the
following:
- The individual submits a detailed
resume to the AICPA by Sept. 1, 2000, for
consideration by an evaluation team of volunteer
CPA arbitrators. The resume must clearly describe
the candidate's history and experience as a CPA
and provide in-depth information about the
individual's experience in providing services to
a particular industry.
- Candidates who are selected by the
team of CPA arbitrators are nominated for
appointment to the AAA.
- Nominated CPAs complete an
application sent to them by the AAA and pay a
$150 filing fee (regularly $300).
- The AAA processes the application
and appoints the candidate to an industry
arbitration panel.
- Within six months of being
accepted to the panel, the arbitrator must
successfully complete a 24-hour course consisting
of 8 hours of Home study and 16 hours of
classroom participation in a workshop setting. In
rare cases, the AAA may determine that an
individual does not have the temperament for
arbitration based on their observation of the
person's role-play in the workshop.
- In the second year of panel
membership, the panelist must successfully
complete a 16-hour practicum on advanced case
management techniques.
Once a person is on the AAA's roster of
neutrals, that person's name is included on lists of
panelists that the AAA sends to parties in dispute. The
parties select the arbitrators from the lists. The AAA
makes the selection only if the parties cannot agree. All
AAA arbitrators set their own fee, which is included in
the information sent to parties.
If you would like to be considered for
AICPA nomination to be an arbitration panelist with the
AAA, mail a detailed resume as previously described to
Monte Kaplan, AICPA, Consulting Services Team, 1211
Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. If you have
any questions, contact him by calling 212/596–6061
or e-mailing mkaplan@aicpa.org.
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