Stanley P. Sklar, who earned a reputation in the legal community as one of the pre-eminent construction law practitioners, has been named executive director of arbitration studies at the DePaul University College of Law’s Center for Dispute Resolution (CDR). A recently retired partner of the law firm Bell Boyd & Lloyd LLP, Sklar introduced alternative dispute resolution methods to the practices of construction and real estate law. He will draw on his unique skills to create an educational forum within CDR that addresses current issues in the commercial arbitration field.

Arbitration is a process that does not involve the courts. Parties engaged in a dispute agree to submit to one or more intermediaries—called arbitrators—who make a binding decision on the disagreement. Historically, arbitration was the accepted method for resolving commercial disputes in many major industries including, construction, insurance, energy and franchising. It also has been used to settle contract disputes in the United States and abroad.

However, it can diminish efficiency and become costly when lawyers attempt to apply litigation methods to the arbitration process. And, companies and industries are less likely to use arbitration as the default method of dispute resolution if lawyers cannot capably navigate the system because their skills are more in line with litigation. Sklar will help attorneys develop the skills necessary to be proficient arbitrators, which in turn will make the arbitration process more cost-effective to businesses.

"The popularity of arbitration has attracted the interest of traditionally trained lawyers who would otherwise use the conventional court system to resolve disputes," said Glen Weissenberger, dean of the College of Law. "We are honored that Stan Sklar has accepted this appointment because his extensive experience in the field of arbitration, and has contribution to arbitration education programs will be valuable assets in helping CDR provide more lawyers with the tools they need to competently solve disputes through the arbitration process."

A 1964 graduate of Northwestern University Law School, Sklar has arbitrated domestic and international cases for more than 20 years and has written and lectured extensively on the effective use of arbitration techniques. Listed in the "International Who’s Who of Construction Lawyers," Sklar has successfully executed all key roles in the alternative dispute resolution process including, arbitrator, mediator, advocate and expert witness. He has chaired more than 40 separate panels for construction cases concerning delay or construction defects claims in excess of $1 million. In 2004, Sklar received the American Bar Association’s Conerstone Award for his outstanding contributions to the construction industry.

Among his many affiliations in the area of alternative dispute resolution, Sklar is a certified mediator and arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and a member of its National Panel for Large Complex Disputes. He currently serves as an officer and board member of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, an invitation-only group of commercial arbitrators.

"The arbitration process is one that I find to be highly practical in bringing commercial disputes to a conclusion in an expeditious, efficient and most importantly cost effective manner," said Sklar. "I look forward to helping attorneys put alternative dispute methods to good use in their practice of law."

Founded in 1996, CDR was created to offer mediation certificate courses to practicing lawyers and other professionals. The center offers certificate courses in mediation, negotiation and arbitration. It also sponsors symposia, discussions and seminars on current dispute resolution issues. Sklar’s appointment will allow CDR to offer even more resources to those interested in arbitration.

"While there are many publications that encourage scholarly and practitioner’s articles in the area of alternate dispute resolution, the ideas generated are seldom adopted by arbitrators, nor do they reach the users of arbitration and their in-house or outside counsel," said Katheryn Dutenhaver, director of CDR. "In addition, many law schools focus their training programs on mediation and non-binding methods of alternative resolution. With Sklar’s appointment, we hope to educate current and future users of the arbitration system, influence the way arbitration is conducted, increase user satisfaction and broaden overall industry use."

For more information about CDR, visit its Web site at http://www.law.depaul.edu/centers_institutes/cdr/.