Richard Chernick, Esq. is the Vice President and the Managing Director of JAMS' Arbitration Practice. He is widely recognized for his skill in resolving complex, multi-party matters, having conducted over 1,900 arbitrations and mediations with all major administering institutions, both domestically and internationally. Mr. Chernick is the former Chair of the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association, and the Founding President of the College of Commercial Arbitrators. He served as the ABA's Advisor to the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. 

Mr. Chernick is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration and of the arbitration panels of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center, the Beijing Arbitration Commission, JAMS/Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, Korean International Arbitration Board, Asian International Arbitration Centre, and the Chicago International Dispute Resolution Association (CIDRA).

He has authored several leading texts on ADR, and was an adjunct professor at both Pepperdine Law School and UCLA Law School. He currently teaches arbitration at USC Gould School of Law, and is the Chair of the USC ADR Program Advisory Board. In recognition of his extensive experience as a neutral and his contribution to justice within the community, Mr. Chernick is the recipient of the "Champion of Justice Award," presented at the annual Western Justice Awards, 2019. 

As a neutral, Mr. Chernick is committed to working with parties to manage their process early, and to structuring processes that effectively meet the unique needs of every dispute. He is a leader in this field, and a valued member of the esteemed panel of JAMS neutrals. 

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• 25 years experience as an arbitrator (and 20 years as an arbitration advocate) in domestic and international, institutional and non-administered, sole and tripartite arbitrations
• Mediator and arbitrator of complex disputes including commercial, real property, employment, entertainment, intellectual property, technology, construction, and public law matters, full time since 1994
• Frequently serves as chair of tripartite panels of arbitrators before all major institutions in the United States
• Consultant on dispute resolution issues, including clause drafting and dispute system design
• ABA's Advisor to the drafting committee for the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act

Representative Matters

• Construction
more than 50 cases involving construction defect claims (residential and commercial), road construction design, delay and disruption claims, design defects and engineering and architectural disputes
• Employment Law
more than 40 cases including termination, ADA, disability discrimination, executive level employment and related compensation issues
• Entertainment & Sports
more than 50 cases in all media, including profit participation and related disputes, distribution agreements, employment, talent contracts, management agreements, joint venture and partnership, agency disputes (talent-agency; agency-agency; employment disputes), idea submission, and copyright (sampling)
• General Commercial
more than 100 miscellaneous commercial disputes of all descriptions, including post-acquisition accounting and earn-out disputes, and contract disputes of all descriptions
• Health Care
more than 25 cases including insurance billing, pharma joint marketing agreements, joint development agreements, license disputes, drug ownership, biotech, clinical trials, and medical devices
• Insurance
more than 20 cases in all commercial areas, D&O, E&O, employment, disability, environmental, mortgage insurance, entertainment, advertising, Cumis, prize contracts, sports related coverage, securities law, and professional liability
• Intellectual Property
more than 35 cases including copyright, trademark, and trade dress in all media including film, television, music, video games, computer software, literary, cell phone technology, bar code technology, and medical devices
• International & Cross Border
more than 40 cases in all of the listed subject areas including technology, partnership, finance, intellectual property, internet (ICANN), entertainment, pharmaceutical, biotech and general commercial
• Law Practice
more than 20 cases including lawyer-client fee disputes, lawyer-lawyer fee disputes, legal malpractice, law firm break-up, and ethical and fiduciary duty issues
• Partnership
more than 50 cases of all descriptions
• Patent
10 or more cases imbedded in license disputes in other areas (technology, pharma, biotech)
• Real Property
more than 30 cases, including appraisal (ground lease, shopping center, office building), partnership, broker commissions, broker malpractice, purchase agreement non-disclosure (residential), joint ownership issues, UP-REIT transactions, leasing, and development disputes
• Securities
10 or more cases in addition to many cases with securities issues imbedded in cases in the commercial and insurance coverage areas including broker fiduciary duty
• Technology
more than 25 cases in telecom, cell phone technology, software, and medical devices
• Telecom
15 or more cases in addition to many cases with telecom issues imbedded in cases in the commercial, technology and intellectual property area
• Title Insurance
10 pure title insurance coverage disputes in addition to cases with such issues imbedded in cases in the real property area

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Katherine Krause Award, Inner City Law Center, 2024
• Recognized as "Best Lawyers in Arbitration," Best Lawyers, 2023-2024
• Recognized as "Lawyer of the Year" for Arbitration in Los Angeles, 2020, 2016
• Listed on "Best Lawyers in America," Best Lawyers, 2020-2024
• ADR Hall of Fame Recipient, California Lawyers Association, 2021
• Recipient of the "Champion of Justice" Award, Western Justice Center, 2019
• Recognized as an “ADR Champion”, National Law Journal, 2016-2018
• Recognized as a Best Lawyer, Alternative Dispute Resolution Category, Best Lawyers in America, 2005-2016
• Selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2010-2016, 2019-2022
• Los Angeles ADR Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2011 and 2015
• Los Angeles Mediation Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2013
• Recognized as a leader among world's commercial arbitration specialists, Global Arbitration Review, 2013
• Recognized as a Top California Neutral, Daily Journal, 2003, 2006-2010 and 2012
• Recognized as a leading practitioner, Alternative Dispute Resolution Category, Who's Who Legal: California, 2009
• Selected as an entertainment law "Power Mediator," Hollywood Reporter, 2007
• Recognized as One of the 500 Leading Judges in America, Lawdragon Magazine, 2006
• Peacemaker of the Year, Southern California Mediation Association, 1999
• Griffin Bell Volunteer Service Award, Dispute Resolution Services, 1994
• Bernard E. Witkin Amicus Curiae Award, California Judicial Council, 1994
• Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Responsible Use of ADR, American Arbitration Association, 1993
• Presidential Award, Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association, 1993
• Legal Services Leadership Award, Western Center on Law and Poverty, 1993
• Norma Zarky Memorial Award, Beverly Hills Bar Foundation, 1991
• Past president, Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and past Chairman of the Board of Dispute Resolution Services, Inc., the dispute resolution program of the Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Co-presenter, "Drafting and Enforcing Effective ADR Provisions," State Bar of California 84th Annual Meeting, 2011
• Author or co-author of leading texts on ADR, Employment ADR, and international arbitration and mediation; frequent trainer and lecturer on arbitration and mediation topics. Author of monthly ADR Practitioner column in Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
• Received comprehensive training in JAMS in-house Entertainment Law workshops including, but not limited to:
  • “Net Profits and New Media: The Future of Entertainment Litigation”
  • "Legal Issues and Developments in Video Game Law"

ADR Profiles

• "The Pioneer," Daily Journal, ADR Profile, December 29, 2017
• "Right Place, Right Time," Daily Journal, ADR Profile, April 10, 2009

Background and Education

• Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, 1977-1994; (associate, 1971-1976); specialized in commercial litigation and domestic and international arbitration
• Law Clerk, Donald R. Wright, Chief Justice of California, 1970-1971
• J.D., University of Southern California (USC), 1970 (Order of the Coif, Articles Editor, S. Cal. L. Rev.)
• A.B., University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), (English), 1967