"A Pro-Active Approach to Reducing Risk: New Arbitration Rules and Dispute Resolution Strategies for Alaska Employers," Davis Wright Tremaine Seminar, Anchorage, Alaska

An unprecedented number of decisions have come down in the last year from the U.S. Supreme Court and state courts all over the country addressing the enforceability and scope of arbitration agreements. Learn how your company can effectively utilize those rulings to manage its risk exposure.

This two-part seminar featured Davis Wright Tremaine employment and labor attorneys Gregory Fisher, Bob Stewart and Liz Hodes speaking on the following topics:

The New Arbitration Landscape
And a new landscape it is—the U.S. Supreme Court has gone further since its landmark decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion (Apr. 27, 2011) to put teeth into arbitration agreements. We explained the most significant points from the Court's most recent cases including American Express Co. v. Italian Colors Rest. (June 2013) and Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter (June 2013), as well as other significant cases from across the country; discussed current questions before Alaska's Supreme Court; and provided valuable insights into the new rules regarding arbitration agreements. Topics covered include:

• Practical takeaways of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions
• How do court decisions from other states impact Alaska employers
• Key Alaska cases and important pending questions

Limit Risk Exposure with a Better Arbitration Agreement/Dispute Resolution Policy
Part II focused on best practices and applying the law learned in Part I, including discussion of internal dispute resolution policies as an alternative mechanism to control risk exposure.

We:

• Discussed the pros, cons, and key components of arbitration and internal dispute resolution processes to help you determine whether and how those alternative dispute mechanisms might be useful to your organization
• Help you understand and avoid drafting errors that can result in a decision that your arbitration agreement is not enforceable, or which could result in proceedings that are inefficient and costly
• Help you draft an arbitration agreement that will stand up to challenges, avoid ambiguities, streamline the arbitration process, and limit your exposure to class actions, private attorney general claims and damage liability in cases before administrative agencies

Attendees left the seminar with a firm grasp on the latest developments in arbitration law and how to use these changes to reduce your risk as an employer.