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Daniel E. Schmidt IV
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Current Employment
  • Company:
    Dispute Resolution Services International
  • Position(s) and Responsibilities:

    Arbitrator and Umpire in commercial arbitrations, primarily involving insurance and reinsurance disputes, but also those involving securities, personnel, and commercial contracts.

    Also serves as mediator, expert witness, and consultant

  • Address:
    40933 North 97th Street
    Scottsdale, ARIZONA 85262 United States
  • Phone:
    732-614-1366
  • Cell:
    732-614-1366
  • Fax:
    480-284-6775
  • Email:
    dan@des4adr.com
  • Website:
    www.des4adr.com
Offering Services as Expert Witness in:
Reinsurance Contract Wording
Previous Employment
  • Company:
    SOREMA NA Group from 1989 to 2000
  • Position(s) and Responsibilities:

    Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer with the following group departments reporting: Law, Claims, Corporate Secretarial, and Human Resources; also, Director and Member of Executive Committees of Group Boards of Directors and Vice Chairman of insurance group

  • Company:
    SCOR US Group, 1984-1989
  • Position(s) and Responsibilities:

    Director (Exec. Comm.)/SVP/General Counsel of publicly-traded company

  • Company:
    Prudential Reinsurance, 1982-1984
  • Position(s) and Responsibilities:

    VP and Associate General Counsel

  • Company:
    Prudential Property & Casualty, 1975-1982
  • Position(s) and Responsibilities:

    Associate General Counsel

Credentials
  • Attorney:
    Yes
  • Education:
    St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
    Graduate Faculty, New School of Political and Social Science/Research, New York, NY
    St. Johns University School of Law, Jamaica, NY
  • Degrees:
    1971 - BA
    1975 - JD
  • Designations:
    Certified ARIAS US Arbitrator (one of the first six certified);
    Certified ARIAS US Umpire;
    Listed Arbitrator by ARIAS UK.
    AAA Panel of Commercial Arbitrators and Roster of Umpires
    AAA Panel of International Arbitrators
  • Languages:
    English
  • Other Information:
    Involved in reinsurance arbitrations since 1983
    A Founding Director of ARIAS-U.S.; served as director, President, and then Chairman until retirement from the Board in 2003.
    (former) Judge, Ecclesiastical Trial Court.
    Listed in Whos Who in America.
    ***Dual citizenship (EU/Ireland & USA).
    ***Summer residence (Jun-Oct): 13 Country Lane, Little Silver, NJ 07739.
Work Experience
  • Insurance Company: 8 years.
    Legal Department: 7 years. Assistant Counsel; Assistant General Counsel; Associate General Counsel and Division Head
    Executive Officer (CEO, COO, CFO, Chief Actuary): 1 year. Vice Chairman
  • Reinsurance Company: 17 years.
    Legal Department: 17 years. Associate General Counsel & VP; SVP & General Counsel; EVP & General Counsel; Group EVP and Chief Legal Officer
  • Independent/Other Relevant Experience: 34 years.
    Other : 6 years. Judge; Associate Presiding Judge; Presiding Judge
    Independent/Unaffiliated Arbitrator, Umpire and/or Mediator: 28 years. Arbitrator; Umpire
Breakdown of Experience
  • Contract Wording
    4%
  • MGA/MGU
    4%
  • Workers' Compensation
    3%
  • Commercial Liability
    3%
  • International
    3%
  • Excess/Surplus Lines
    3%
  • Environmental/Pollution
    3%
  • Energy
    3%
  • Lloyd's
    3%
  • London Company Market
    3%
  • Commercial Property
    3%
  • Catastrophes (Property)
    3%
  • Catastrophes (Casualty)
    3%
  • Personal Lines
    3%
  • Bad Faith/ECO
    3%
  • Product Liability
    3%
  • Automobile Liability/Property
    3%
  • Regulatory/Licensing
    3%
  • Insolvencies
    2%
  • Long Term Disability
    2%
  • Life
    2%
  • Third Party Administrator
    2%
  • Toxic Tort
    2%
  • Intellectual Property
    2%
  • Accident & Health
    2%
  • Healthcare
    2%
  • Financial Guarantee
    2%
  • Employment Practices Liability
    2%
  • Disability
    2%
  • Directors &, Officers
    2%
  • Construction Defects
    2%
  • Commutations
    2%
  • Finite
    2%
  • Captives/Risk Retention Groups
    2%
  • Asbestos
    2%
  • Professional Liability/Errors &, Omissions
    1%
  • Alternative/Self-Insurance/Risk Management
    1%
  • Architects &, Engineers
    1%
  • Ocean Marine
    1%
  • Aviation
    1%
  • Product/Consumer Warranties
    1%
  • Political Risk
    1%
  • Libel/Slander/Media Liability
    1%
  • Agricultural
    1%
  • Fidelity &, Surety
    1%
By Market
  • U.S. Market:
    98%
  • U.K. Market:
    1%
  • Bermuda/Off-shore Market:
    1%

Insurance vs. Reinsurance: 33/67%
Treaty vs. Facultative Reinsurance: 75/25%
Former Insurance or Reinsurance Company Officer
Former Insurance or Reinsurance Company Director

Mediation Experience
  • Number of Mediations
    As Mediator: Co-mediator 1
ARIAS Experience

Ethics Training, as Trainee: 1; June 2009

ARIAS Conference Faculty: 7; Spring 2003, Fall 2003, Fall 2006, Fall 2009, Fall 2011; Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Fall 2014

Arbitration Experience

Number of Arbitrations

As an Arbitrator: 289

As an Umpire: 139

As Employee Manager: 6

Arbitrator Experience
Number of Arbitrations
57
Appointed as an arbitrator.
28
Acted as an arbitrator through the organizational meeting or the arbitration has only reached this stage.
36
Acted as an arbitrator through the organizational meeting or the arbitration has only reached this stage and the resolution of significant pre-hearing motions.
6
Acted as an arbitrator through an evidentiary hearing of at least one full day and less than three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
20
Acted as an arbitrator through an evidentiary hearing of at least three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
26
Acted as an arbitrator through to final award after completion of an evidentiary hearing of at least one full day and less than three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
116
Acted as an arbitrator through to final award after completion of an evidentiary hearing of at least three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
Umpire Experience
Number of Arbitrations
3
Appointed as an umpire.
14
Acted as an umpire through the organizational meeting or the arbitration has only reached this stage.
24
Acted as an umpire through the organizational meeting or the arbitration has only reached this stage and the resolution of significant pre-hearing motions.
6
Acted as an umpire through an evidentiary hearing of at least one full day and less than three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
6
Acted as an umpire through an evidentiary hearing of at least three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
10
Acted as an umpire through to final award after completion of an evidentiary hearing of at least one full day and less than three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
76
Acted as an umpire through to final award after completion of an evidentiary hearing of at least three full days regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
Employee Manager Experience
Number of Arbitrations
1
Employee Manager of arbitration through the organizational meeting or the arbitration has only reached this stage.
1
Employee Manager of arbitration through the organizational meeting or the arbitration has only reached this stage as well as significant motions before the panel, panel consultations, and interim awards, but not through the hearing briefs.
1
Employee Manager of arbitration through pre-hearing briefs.
3
Employee Manager of arbitration through evidentiary hearing of at least three full day regarding the substantive merits of the parties' dispute.
Biography

Dan Schmidt is a seasoned arbitrator and umpire, with over 400 assignments since 1987, many involving substantial sums and complex one-off issues.

Throughout his career, assignments have been fairly evenly split: approximately 1/3 as umpire, 1/3 as arbitrator appointed by ceding companies, and 1/3 as arbitrator appointed by assuming companies.

Mr. Schmidt resides in Scottsdale, AZ from October to June and in Little Silver, NJ from June to October. Please access additional information, his CV, and his Fee/Retainer Schedule at his website: www.des4adr.com.