This year's spring Intensive Arbitrator Training Workshop will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 4-5, 2010 at the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California, just over the bridge from the San Diego International Airport. Information about the hotel can be found at its website, http://www.hoteldel.com.

Workshop sessions will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and conclude at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, just before the start of the ARIAS·U.S. 2010 Spring Conference. This program is for new arbitrators, as well as those who are interested in a refresher on the basics of the arbitration process.

On Tuesday, May 4, a reception and dinner will take place for workshop attendees starting at 6:00 p.m. These evening events are integral parts of the workshop, since they allow for an open exchange of ideas about the scenario that will be the subject of the next day's mock arbitrations and a chance to interact with those who will take part in those sessions.

The Program

On Tuesday afternoon, presentations will address what to do when first contacted for an arbitration, guidelines on how to deal with conflicts, ex parte communications, disclosure, discovery issues, and the preparation of a final award.

On Wednesday morning, all attendees will have the opportunity to participate on a panel during a hands-on mock arbitration. Panel members will be presented with arguments by participants from one of three law firms. They will then deliberate "in private," in front of the other participants.

Experienced arbitrators will instruct, observe, and provide helpful feedback on how to handle various issues. The program schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, May 4
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Opening Remarks / General Session
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Refreshment Break
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Continuation of General Session
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Dinner

Wednesday, May 5
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Mock Arbitration Panels
9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Refreshment Break
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Continuation of Arbitration Panels

This course applies toward ARIAS·U.S. certification requirements. Due to the program format, enrollment in the workshop is limited to 27 panel participants. It is open only to ARIAS members.

Costs and Accomodations

Food, meeting facilities and equipment, and training will be provided for a fee that is all-inclusive. For a payment of $623 (including the 3% credit card processing fee), all workshop costs and food expenses are covered. Transportation costs (air, car, and/or taxi), hotel room, and incidentals need to be handled individually.

In view of the combining of the workshop with the conference, it is felt that room reservations will best be made by attendees for both conference and workshop at the same time. The above fee has been reduced from the normal workshop fee by an amount equal to one night at the lowest room rate. Information on making reservations is available below.

Registration

Registration will begin here on the website at 11:00 a.m. EST on March 10, 2010. All members may register at this time. Placement will be given in the order registration requests are received. Although an automatic reply to the registration request will be sent, the actual confirmation will only be sent after eligibility is confirmed. Those on the waiting list will be notified of their status and place on the waiting list.

If you are not able to come here to register at that time, please ask someone to register for you, using your name, address, and credit card. The security code (3 or 4 digits located on the card) will be required.

This workshop provides hands-on training, interaction, and practical experience in the arbitration process. It is an excellent opportunity for members who are already certified to sharpen their skills with another round of instruction and mock arbitration.

Hotel Reservations

Since the workshop begins one day before the conference, an additional night's reservation may be necessary when reserving for the conference. Anyone who plans only to attend the workshop is welcome to make just the Tuesday night reservation at the conference group rate.

Room reservations for The Del may be made now online through the "Welcome ARIAS·U.S." page of the hotel's online reservation system by clicking here. Dark boxes show dates of ARIAS-blocked rooms, however two days before and three days after may be reserved at group rates, if available.

Guest rooms are available at the following special ARIAS·U.S. group rates.

• $270 Victorian Queen
• $307 Resort King
• $307 Resort Queen Queen
• $349 Run of Ocean View

A resort charge of $22 per day is additional, providing Internet access, newspaper, in-room coffee and tea, fitness center access and classes, and local, 800 and credit card phone calls, etc. If you prefer to make reservations by telephone, the number is 1-800-468-3533. Be sure to mention ARIAS to receive the group rate.

Please note: To receive the conference group rates, hotel reservations must be made no later than April 10, 2010. All accommodations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Local taxes are not included. Complete information about the Hotel del Coronado is at www.hoteldel.com. To hold your reservation, a one-night deposit is required. Check-in time is 4:00 p.m., so if you are arriving on the 4th for the 2:00 p.m. start, you will have to store bags upon arrival, unless your room is ready early.

If you have questions, contact Bill Yankus at director@arias-us.org, or call 914-966-3180, ext. 116.

Antitrust Statement: This workshop will be conducted in accordance with the ARIAS·U.S. Policy Statement and Guidelines Concerning Antitrust Compliance, which is available in the About ARIAS section of the website.

NYS CLE Credit: ARIAS·U.S. is an accredited provider of New York State Continuing Legal Education training. Six-and-a-half hours of Continuing Legal Education credits are available to those who attend this workshop. The credits break down as follows: 1.0 credit for Ethics, 5.5 credits for Skills. This program is structured for both newly-admitted attorneys and experienced attorneys.

Financial Hardship Policy Statement: As required by the NYS Continuing Legal Education Board, if a member of the bar of New York would like to attend an ARIAS·U.S. seminar, but finds that he or she would incur a financial hardship by doing so, an application for waiver of the attendance fee may be made to the Board of Directors of ARIAS·U.S. at PO Box 9001, Mt. Vernon, NY 10552. Such application would be held in the strictest confidence.