Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

This article updates a study published by the National Academy of Arbitrators in 1961 on the characteristics of arbitrators who handle labor disputes. It covers such matters as age, sex, education (both level and subject specialty), principal occupation, and experience.

The profile that emerges reveals that the average arbitrator is a male in his 50s. He is likely to have several degrees, with both law and economics as areas of specialization. In the profession, part-time arbitrators predominate; the mean years of experience is 14.2. Roughly a third are educators and a fourth are attorneys. They handle about 20.3 cases per year and a majority divide their cases between the public and private sectors.