Content area
Full text
In this article, Slate expresses his thoughts about the field and the most pressing challenges it faces today, the AAA's contributions to the ADR community, and how he envisions the future of ADR.
In 1994, William K. Slate II became president and CEO of the American Arbitration Association, the largest and most widely recognized dispute resolution organization in the world. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.) and the University of Richmond law school (J.D.), Slate brought with him a wealth of experience as a lawyer, a former executive in the U.S. court system, an educator, and an entrepreneur (having founded and led the Justice Research Institute, an interdisciplinary research entity focused on the justice system). More importantly, he infused the world's oldest ADR organization with new vitality and business leadership that positioned the association at the forefront of an extremely competitive, fast-changing global ADR market.
Known simply as Bill to friends and colleagues, Slate is a driven leader, a charismatic public speaker, and a cordial colleague. He can lead and inspire all at once. And in his 18th year as AAA president, he has guided the Association through many changes: the exponential growth of arbitration and mediation, the inevitable increase in public scrutiny as arbitration expanded to new areas such as consumer and employment disputes, the rapid technological advances that made online dispute resolution possible, and the ups and downs of the U.S. and the world economies.
Under Slate's leadership, the AAA strengthened its global presence with the establishment of the Interna tional Cen - tre for Dis pute Reso lution (ICDR) in 2001 and the subsequent ICDR ex pan - sion in Mexico City, Singa pore, and Bahrain. Keenly aware and mindful of the AAA's role as a thought leader in the ADR field, Slate has led the Associa tion in the filing of eight amicus curiae briefs addressing key issues in arbitration that could potentially impact the future of the ADR industry.
Slate is a tireless ADR advocate, writing 44 articles and book chapters on ADR issues and delivering over 100 speeches and keynote ad dresses at conferences and events throughout the world. He is active in the international ADR community as an officer of...