Admission

Admission to CCA is by invitation only. A candidate for fellowship must be nominated by a Fellow and seconded by at least two other Fellows. The CCA reviews nominees on an annual basis.

It is the goal of CCA to admit as Fellows only those who have distinguished themselves as commercial arbitrators and have a strong interest in furthering the mission of the College. Nominees must commit to being active members of CCA, including attending the CCA’s annual meeting, typically held each October. A Fellow-elect does not become a Fellow until he or she attends the first annual meeting held subsequent to his or her admission, and paid the CCA’s annual dues. Once admitted, Fellows are strongly encouraged to join and be active on one of the College’s committees.

In reviewing the credentials of nominees, the Membership Committee evaluates that person’s breadth and depth of experience as a commercial arbitrator. The CCA Bylaws require that at the time of nomination, the nominee must have substantial experience, and have demonstrated the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and competence, as an arbitrator in the field of commercial arbitration. The Membership Committee employs Protocols to evaluate whether a nominee meets those criteria and should be admitted to the College. The Protocols are linked here and also available for download below. All nominees should examine the Protocols and utilize them in the preparation of their Arbitration Experience Summary.

The CCA is committed to diversity in race, national origin and gender.  Ensuring diversity and inclusion is a commitment and a goal for the entire College and should be for each admitted Fellow.

Becoming a Fellow

Candidates for Fellowship must be nominated by a current CCA Fellow and seconded by at least two other current CCA Fellows. The nominating Fellow is responsible for assembling and timely submitting the candidate’s nomination packet, which consists of the following:

• Letter from Nominating CCA Fellow, including affirmation that the nominee meets all of the fellowship criteria;
• Letters from at least two Seconding CCA Fellows;
• Nominee’s completed and signed Arbitration Experience Summary;
• Nominee’s Letter of Interest; and
• Nominee’s current CV.
• The nominator is responsible for contacting those Fellows identified on the nominee’s Arbitration Experience Summary as having served with, and providing a summation of those communications to the Membership Committee.

The Arbitration Experience Summary must detail activities in the field of commercial arbitration, the number and types of disputes arbitrated, the complexity of the disputes arbitrated, inclusion on recognized commercial arbitration provider rosters, experience as a sole arbitrator, as chair of an arbitration panel, and as a wing arbitrator, and the nominee’s experience writing reasoned awards. It must also list all CCA Fellows with whom the nominee has served on arbitration panels. It should also list awards or honors received for work as an arbitrator, prior experience as an advocate, in-house counsel, judge, or advocate, publications and presentations, and any efforts to increase or support diversity and inclusiveness in arbitration or related fields.

In addition, the nominee must command and demonstrate respect in the relevant community of advocates, other arbitrators, and users of commercial arbitration. The nominee must be a member in good standing of a Bar in the United States or elsewhere. Alternatively, the nominee may be a non-lawyer who possesses substantial experience serving as a commercial arbitrator and who is currently listed on the roster or panel of a recognized arbitration services provider.

The Nomination Letter and Seconding Letters should specifically address the Fellow’s knowledge of the nominee’s performance as a commercial arbitrator, character and professional background.

Procedure

Admission to the CCA is by invitation only. A candidate for Fellowship must be nominated by a current Fellow and seconded by at least two other current Fellows. The Board of Directors generally admits new Fellows after its Spring meeting (typically held in April). A Fellow may not nominate more than two candidates for membership per year, nor may a Fellow propose or second a nomination of a relative, a lawyer employed by a client of the Fellow or his/her firm, or any partner, associate or employee of any law firm or educational institution in which the Fellow is a partner or member. No current member of the CCA Membership Committee may nominate or second the nomination of a candidate for membership.

Deadline

A complete nomination package must be submitted by the nominating CCA Fellow and received by the Chair of the CCA Membership Committee by 5:00 p.m. EST on December 15th for the nominee to be considered for membership the following year.

A nominee whose nomination package is incomplete as of December 15th will not be considered for membership during the following year, but may, in the discretion of the CCA Membership Committee, be held over for consideration along with the following year’s class of nominees.

Considering Nominations

Nominations for membership are considered by the Membership Committee, which, in turn, reports its recommendations to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. Admission is in the discretion and subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

Appointments to the Membership Committee are made by the CCA President with a view toward having Fellows with diverse backgrounds and a variety of experience in the field of commercial arbitration participate in the membership process.

The CCA is committed to diversity in race, national origin, gender, and sexual orientation. It is the goal of the CCA to admit as Fellows those who have distinguished themselves as commercial arbitrators, have a strong interest in furthering the mission of the CCA as identified on the CCA website, and are committed to being actively engaged in the CCA’s activities.

Nomination Forms

All candidates must provide to the nominator a completed Arbitration Experience Summary form, a letter of interest and a current CV.  The required forms are linked below in Word and PDF formats and must accompany each application/nomination. Completed nomination packets shall be forwarded electronically to the CCA Membership Committee Co-Chairs, Alfred G. Feliu at afeliu@feliuadr.com, and Deborah Mastin at deborahmastin@gmail.com. Please send only completed packets via one integrated email, not separate documents or piecemeal submissions. If sent electronically, a hard copy need not be provided.

Click the file format next to the document name you wish to download.

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In the event of any conflict between this General Description and the CCA Bylaws, the Bylaws, as interpreted by the Board of Directors, shall govern. Decisions of the Board of Directors are made in its sole and absolute discretion.

Admissions Schedule