Services Offered and History

The Resolution Experts

We have crafted an ADR environment that is second to none. The most significant points of difference at JAMS involve our neutrals who are at the core of our dispute resolution service and our commitment to being The Resolution Experts.

We are owned by neutrals who are 100% committed to creating a new standard of excellence in dispute resolution. Our panel shares a proven ability to handle the most complex cases where the stakes are high and the parties are unyielding.

We have created a customized, dispute resolution environment that fosters collegiality and collaboration where neutrals are totally freed from the administrative side of the business. All JAMS neutrals are exclusive, full-time ADR practitioners and virtually all of our cases are held in our offices.

Our associates are trained in ADR and work in partnership with neutrals to provide clients with the highest level of service from the beginning of the process through to resolution.

We are committed to uncompromising neutrality and attracting and developing the best neutrals and associates. Key to this is a supportive environment which is committed to learning the best of ADR and the best of great service companies. We believe deeply that adding significant value for our neutrals, associates, and clients is at the heart of being The Resolution Experts.

Developing Excellence

The preeminent retired judges and attorneys who comprise our panel of neutrals at JAMS represent a collective body of experience and wisdom that is the essence of our organization. By sharing their ADR knowledge and expertise in a collaborative and collegial environment, our neutrals hone their skills and stay on top of key ADR issues.

When our associates indicated a desire for more challenging and well-defined career paths, we responded with enhanced training programs designed to give them an advantage over their peers in the ADR industry. We conduct frequent arbitration administration trainings to keep associates abreast of new legislation and issues that affect the field of dispute resolution. We offer customized training on case management and client service standards, as well as ongoing professional development programs on leadership, business development, and client partnership skills.

JAMS Arbitration Advantage

Our arbitration practice has evolved over the years as the number and complexity of arbitration cases has increased. We work closely with clients to manage the process to ensure a reliable outcome. We offer many unique and invaluable resources for complex, multi-party arbitrations.

• JAMS Neutrals: All of our specially trained arbitrators are exclusive and full-time and continually stay abreast of all current arbitration trends and legislation.
  
  
• Process Expertise: Our neutrals gain a precise understanding of the nature and complexity of the dispute as well as the issues and personalities involved, in order to design a process that meets the needs of all parties. Our process expertise is second to none and strongly contributes to fair and reasoned decisions on all cases.
  
  
• JAMS Case Management Service: Our highly professional case managers are trained in the latest arbitration procedures. They have years of experience in the management of large multi-party complex arbitrations and offer comprehensive on-site administration, as well as case follow-up support.
  
  
• Advanced Arbitration Tools: From our customized rules and clauses to our minimum standards of fairness, we are widely recognized for developing best practices in the ever-changing field of arbitration.
  
  
• Results: Our experienced neutrals together with our process expertise ensure that the decisions are carefully reasoned and reliable. This is evidenced by the fact that satisfaction among our clients who use arbitration is at the same high level as our clients who use mediations.

ADR Services

Our neutrals, as well as the various ADR processes employed by JAMS, have proven their merit in case after case. In addition to mediation and arbitration services, we also offer a variety of other valuable ADR expertise.

• Neutral case evaluation
• Settlement conference
• Mini trial
• Summary jury trial
• Neutral expert fact finding
• Special master/discovery master
• Private judging
• Class action settlement process and adjudication

As part of our ongoing national commitment to ADR education for businesses, professional associations, and the legal community, we offer complimentary, customized workshops at client locations. Now, more than ever before, JAMS neutrals from around the country are partnering together to develop and present sophisticated content that is provocative, original, and extremely useful to participants. Topics include mediation and arbitration advocacy, as well as ethics, intellectual property, and many more. Each workshop is approved for CLE credit and can be tailored to meet the needs and experience level of the participants.

The JAMS Experience

We are committed to finding new ways to add value to our clients' experience.

Over the years, we have consistently received high marks from our clients for our ability to resolve disputes. Now we are committed to finding new ways to increase client satisfaction with their overall experience at JAMS.

We strive to make the time clients spend in our offices both comfortable and productive. Our client service representatives are available to assist with every need, allowing clients to stay focused on resolution. At the same time, our client business centers enable clients to stay connected to their colleagues and business with phone, fax, and wireless internet connections.

We have 23 offices nationwide and conduct most sessions in our offices. Our on-site conference facilities are designed to accommodate the wide range of disputes that come to us for resolution including complex, multiparty cases.

Technological Edge

We have always been ahead of the technological curve, beginning with JAMSware, our proprietary national database. JAMSware was designed to handle full-disclosure tracking years before new legislation mandating such requirements was passed. JAMSware allows us to provide secure, up-to-the-minute information about all aspects of a case at any time in any of our offices nationwide.

Our user-friendly web site has been a useful tool for our clients to learn more about JAMS, our dispute resolution expertise, and our distinguished panel of resolution experts. The web site continues to evolve and now offers online case submission, downloadable rules and clause drafting expertise, and the JAMS Dispute Resolution Alert, a publication dedicated to recent ADR developments worldwide.

Our use of advanced technology to complement the dispute resolution process is yet another example of our dedication to ensuring that JAMS neutrals and clients have a variety of tools available to efficiently reach resolution.

Results
Every year, our exclusive neutrals are responsible for resolving more than 10,000 cases. We know that in order to be The Resolution Experts, we must maintain high satisfaction levels among all of our constituents. Rather than rest on our laurels as an industry leader, we conduct continuing research to better understand the experience of our clients, neutrals, and associates and to address their evolving needs.

Satisfaction
We regularly field a quantitative satisfaction survey among clients, associates, and neutrals. These surveys are conducted by an independent consulting firm and provide the most important indicators of how we are doing in achieving our mission of being The Resolution Experts.

The satisfaction survey results are measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 8 or more considered outstanding. Our overall satisfaction ratings are all in the outstanding category. These results underscore both our progress and our potential.

Only 10% of U.S. businesses meet or exceed an outstanding rating in similar surveys. Areas that we received a satisfaction rating of outstanding are:

• Overall client satisfaction
• Overall service
• Willingness to use the same neutrals again
• Neutral pride
• Associate pride
• When asked if associates care about giving the best service to clients, we received a near perfect score.

These results are rarely achieved across all of the service satisfaction research in the United States. We will continue to work on taking satisfaction to the next level in all categories, but more importantly, we will continue to ask for feedback from our clients, neutrals, and associates to ensure that we are living up to our mission of being The Resolution Experts.

Making a Difference
We honor a deep commitment to be of service to our local, national, and global communities.

We share a longstanding tradition of community service. We established the JAMS Foundation and the JAMS Society as ways of giving back to the local and national communities, whose goodwill and loyalty have been instrumental in our success.

The JAMS Foundation

The JAMS Foundation, funded entirely by generous contributions from our neutrals and associates, was established in 2002 with two goals in mind. The Foundation provides financial assistance for conflict resolution initiatives with national or international impact. Additionally, it shares our considerable dispute resolution experience and judicial expertise for the benefit of the public interest.

While encouraging the use of alternative dispute resolution, the mission of The JAMS Foundation is to support education about collaborative processes for resolving differences at all levels, promote innovation in conflict resolution, and advance the settlement of conflict worldwide.

The JAMS Foundation contributed financial and personnel resources in support of pro bono legal services for September 11 victims and their families in New York as well as employees of the federal courts in New Orleans who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The Foundation is also helping to fund the publication and distribution of peer mediation manuals for school districts throughout the United States.

JAMS Society

JAMS Society was created in 2002 to recognize and support volunteer opportunities and community involvement for JAMS associates at a local, "hands-on" level. All associates are encouraged to become members of their local society to collaborate on outreach programs, or to work individually on a project of their choice. JAMS Society members participate in a diverse array of volunteer activities around the country ranging from cleaning up the environment to improving the lives of children and seniors.

Whether through charity, leadership or camaraderie, the collective groups that comprise JAMS Society represent the very core of our mission, vision, and values.