David K. Taylor, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Nashville, TN
dtaylor@bradley.com
615-252-2396
There’s a great argument that lawyer advocacy in an arbitration is more essential than at a trial in court. This post is the ninth of the top 10 most horrible, terrible, no good, “bang your head against the door” mistakes that I have seen lawyers make in arbitrations, both when I served as counsel and as an arbitrator. Agreeing to arbitrate a dispute, whether in a contract or by agreement, is a serious decision for any business. There are pros and cons to binding arbitration versus trial in a court that go beyond a series of blog posts, but the fact is that when a dispute is arbitrated, finality is the rule. It is very difficult to appeal an arbitration award. In many instances, representing a party in an arbitration requires more due diligence and work than a trial. Great “arbitration” lawyering is therefore essential but sometimes does not happen.
No. 9: Not Being Creative with Proof and Witnesses
In a typical trial, the plaintiff goes first with witnesses followed by the defendant’s witnesses. There may be multiple parties and claims, and the trial can stretch out over many days. Key witnesses or experts could testify on day one, and the witnesses (including experts) who rebut that testimony on those issues may not testify until days later. The judge’s schedule may also dictate trial time and scheduling. Witnesses will not normally be taken “out of turn” regardless of their circumstances. The result may be testimony on claims one, three, and five on the first day of trial, while the rebuttal witnesses may not provide testimony until days later. Whether in front of a judge or jury, this lack of continuity of witnesses can cause confusion, especially when there is no trial transcript for a judge or jury to review. They have to rely on notes (if allowed to a jury) and/or pure memory.
While in arbitration hearings arbitrators face some of these same continuity issues, this is where the more informal nature of arbitration can be a real advantage. It may be harder for the arbitrators to review the testimony than a judge. Keeping this in mind, be intentional about the order of presentation of your witnesses. In arbitration, you are likely to have more flexibility with the order of witnesses and the hours made available for the presentation of evidence. Always remember that the arbitrator is being fed facts and arguments through a fire hose and is relying only on notes taken while a witness is testifying, as well as (typically) volumes of exhibit books chock full of exhibits. Therefore, put on your thinking hat. Arrange the exhibit books (see previous post) and include separate “claims/issues” sections for easy access, not just for the arbitrator but for you and your witnesses’ preparation. Arbitrators appreciate any effort or suggestion to narrow down issues and claims and present all evidence on a specific claim at the same time. Creativity with how issues, witnesses, and claims are presented is the key. Zoom and telephone testimony can be arranged (remember the rules of evidence do not apply). You can suggest what’s called “hot boxing” and propose having key witnesses from both sides testify back to back on key issues. For experts, consider having them present their opinions one at a time, or even at the same time, by going back and forth answering questions from all counsel and the arbitrator. Especially in a dispute where there may be scores of issues and claims, your efforts to make sure the arbitrator’s job is easier will pay off in the final result.