Richard F. Ziegler is an experienced arbitrator in international and domestic matters and an accredited mediator, including for international matters. As a former general counsel of a major multi-national company and a former outside litigation counsel with extensive experience over four decades in financial, technology-intensive and regulatory matters, Mr. Ziegler is well equipped to manage and fairly arbitrate or mediate complex disputes.

Mr. Ziegler’s proficiency and comfort with the use of technology in dispute resolution proceedings is illustrated by his work as Chair of the Task Force on Remote Video Arbitration Proceedings convened by the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (“CPR”) in April, 2020 to respond to the increased need for remote proceedings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  CPR published the Task Force’s “Annotated Model Procedural Order for Remote Video Arbitration Proceedings” on April 21, 2020 and updated on August 26, 2021.

Mr. Ziegler has served as arbitrator in more than 80 arbitration proceedings in recent years.  His assignments have been roughly evenly divided between domestic and international cases.  He has served as chair, sole and co-arbitrator in matters administered by the ICC, ICDR, HKIAC, CPR and AAA and in ad hoc cases.  He is listed in Chambers Global and Chambers USA in "Band 1" for international arbitrators.  (He is sufficiently fond of the comments published in Chambers offered by arbitrators with whom he has served and counsel who have appeared before him that they are reproduced at the bottom of this page from the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 Guides.)

He is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the College of Commercial Arbitrators and a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.  He is a member of the panels of arbitrators maintained by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution ("ICDR"), the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") (Large Complex Case Panel and Aerospace, Aviation and National Security Panel), the Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center ("Tech List") and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution ("CPR") (National Panel of Distinguished Neutrals; General Counsel Panel; Technology (patent) Panel; Financial Services Panel; Cross-Border Panel).

Mr. Ziegler has served as Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Professional Ethics and early in his career served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Manhattan.

Recent ADR Engagements:

The commercial disputes Mr. Ziegler has handled span numerous industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, industrial/manufacturing, medical devices, biotech, oil & gas, batteries, wind turbines, gas turbines, chemicals, software, professional services and alcoholic beverages.  The amounts at issue have ranged from the low millions to more than $1.5 billion.

The various merits hearings in which he participated as chair, sole or co-arbitrator in recent years include:

  • an ICDR-administered dispute involving a $1.6 billion claim for breach of a long-term terminal use agreement in the energy sector (chair);
  • an ICDR-administered dispute involving a $400+ million claim for breach of an investment agreement (co-arbitrator);
  • an ICC-administered dispute concerning claims for breaches of fiduciary duty and an executive compensation agreement totaling more than $100 million (sole arbitrator);
  • an ICC-administered dispute between pharmaceutical companies over a co-marketing agreement involving some $250 million (president);
  • an HKIAC-administered dispute over a financial instrument involving more than $130 million (chair);
  • an ad hoc proceeding over a claimed $35 million breach of a biotech collaboration agreement (chair);
  • a CPR-administered dispute between two pharma companies concerning a distribution agreement (co-arbitrator);
  • an ICDR-administered dispute involving a hearing for emergency interim relief concerning the breakdown of a joint venture in the telecommunications sector (co-arbitrator); and
  • an AAA-administered dispute over a claimed pandemic-related breach of an asset purchase agreement involving $1 million (sole).

Mr. Ziegler is committed to helping achieve arbitration's potential for prompt, cost-efficient and fair dispute resolution.  In two recent matters in which the parties jointly sought expedited proceedings, he succeeded in conducting evidentiary hearings and issuing final, reasoned awards in less than 90 days from his appointment.

Mr. Ziegler also acts as mediator in complex business disputes, and is certified as a mediator in international matters by London’s Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.  His recent experience as mediator includes mediating the break-up of a joint manufacturing venture between Asian and U.S. partners; a large fee dispute between lawyer and client; a “business divorce” between co-owners of an investment firm; a claim for misappropriation of trade secrets in the context of a terminating joint venture; and a dispute between a law firm and a former partner.

Preparation for ADR Work:
Before he began accepting assignments as an ADR neutral a few years ago, Mr. Ziegler enjoyed a multi-faceted career that prepared him to perform ADR roles effectively:

  • In-House/Senior Executive: Mr. Ziegler was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the 3M Company (the diversified blue-chip global manufacturing and technology company whose businesses spanned pharmaceuticals, chemicals, electronics, filtration and software in addition to consumer products, where he led a department of more than 150 lawyers in 24 countries) for nearly five years and served on the Company’s Operations Committee of senior management
    • He had direct responsibility for material litigations (including class actions) involving patent, environmental, antitrust, product liability, insurance coverage, employment and advertising issues
    • He counseled the Board and senior management on compliance, governance and other matters
    • He had responsibility for all material transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures and licensing agreements, and securities filings
    • He chaired the Company’s Business Conduct Committee
  • Private Practice: Mr. Ziegler was a civil litigator in New York for decades
    • His practice focused on complex civil litigation, including securities, financial and M&A matters, commercial disputes involving technology issues, patents, business torts, and compliance and corporate governance issues .
    • He was lead counsel in numerous domestic and international arbitrations seated in Seoul, London, Geneva, Oslo and elsewhere, governed by foreign and domestic law, including that of New York, Korea, Norway, Thailand and elsewhere. He has also served as an expert witness on New York law.
    • Mr. Ziegler was a partner at Cleary, Gottlieb for nearly 20 years before he joined 3M in St. Paul, and thereafter was a partner at Jenner & Block, including as Managing Partner of its New York office.
      • He was the coordinator of Cleary’s litigation practice in New York and a member of its global Executive Committee
      • He was the Co-Chair of Jenner’s international arbitration practice and a member of its global Policy Committee
  • Public Service: Early in his career Mr. Ziegler served in all three branches of the federal government, as a legislative assistant to a US Congressman; as a law clerk to federal judge Milton Pollack in the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”); and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the SDNY, where he also served as Deputy Appellate Attorney

Mr. Ziegler’s career has given him a deep understanding of business imperatives and strategies, cross-border business disputes and the need for efficient, fair and timely dispute resolution.

Subject Matter Experience

Mr. Ziegler’s experience as both General Counsel at 3M and as outside litigation counsel at Cleary, Gottlieb and Jenner & Block has given him meaningful subject matter experience in a wide variety of legal issues and claims, in the context of several different industries.  A large number of his engagements as counsel involved financial and securities issues, mergers & acquisitions, as well as technology issues, including patent disputes and commercial claims concerning technologically-complex products, components and systems. 

His assignments as arbitrator and mediator in recent years — which are described in the Overview section — have drawn on much of this experience.  A large number of the disputes Mr. Ziegler has adjudicated as arbitrator have involved the pharmaceutical, energy, aerospace and financial services industries, and many have involved M&A agreements.

Here’s a summary:

Industries:

Mr. Ziegler’s practice as outside counsel involved a lot of work for financial services clients – broker-dealers, investment banks, asset managers and the like -- and clients in the aerospace, defense, automotive and telecommunications industries, including manufacturers of propulsion systems, aircraft components, aircraft and automobiles.

Mr. Ziegler’s senior role at 3M necessarily immersed him in the many industries in which 3M participated with its diversified portfolio of technologies and products.  These included health care, including drug delivery systems; bandages; orthodontic products; health information systems; and branded pharmaceuticals (under Mr. Ziegler’s supervision 3M divested its global pharmaceutical business); industrial products, including chemicals and abrasives; personal safety and security equipment, including respiratory protection; air and water filtration; transportation, including highway markings and signs and automotive fasteners and other components; graphics and optical systems; electronic components; and the consumer products for which the company is best known, such as Scotch® tape and Post-It Notes®.

Commercial Disputes:

Mr. Ziegler has long since lost track of the number of disputes he has handled as lead counsel involving supply contracts, long-term agreements, distribution contracts, consortium agreements, joint ventures, stockholder agreements, partnership agreements, merger and acquisition/divestiture agreements, employment contracts and insurance policies.  He acted as lead counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants in matters involving such legal theories as breach of contract, breach of warranty, breach of fiduciary duties, tortious inducement of breach of contract and interference with prospective contractual relations, misappropriation of trade secrets, civil RICO, fraud, antitrust claims (including attempted monopolization and agreements in restraint of trade), negligent misrepresentation and alleged violations of unfair and deceptive trade practices statutes. He has significant experience in class actions, including having tried a class action involving executive compensation claims.

Financial/Securities Disputes:

Mr. Ziegler has significant experience with sophisticated financial instruments including credit default swaps, residential mortgage and other asset-backed securities, interest rate swaps and other derivatives.  He acted as lead counsel in matters involving broker-dealer regulation, investment management matters governed by ERISA, insider trading, and federal securities laws including tender offer, proxy contest, merger & acquisition, public securities offering and bond indenture disputes.  At 3M Mr. Ziegler served as a director of 3M’s investment management company, which supervised the investment portfolio of its multi-billion dollar pension fund.

Technology/Intellectual Property/Energy/Environmental Disputes:

Mr. Ziegler handled numerous commercial disputes involving complex technology issues arising in such areas as chemistry, electronics, aerodynamics, materials science and computer software, involving products such as printed circuit boards, aircraft engine thrust reversers, bullets, fire-fighting equipment, flight simulators, gas turbine propulsion systems and auxiliary power units, helicopter ball bearings and video games.  As outside counsel Mr. Ziegler first-chaired patent trials and as General Counsel at 3M he supervised a substantial number of patent and other IP disputes. His work at 3M also included responsibility for significant environmental litigation arising from a chemical compound of which 3M was the exclusive producer, and multiple product liability claims.  In his private practice Mr. Ziegler was lead counsel in environmental matters and other land-use disputes.

Insurance Coverage Disputes:

Mr. Ziegler has represented clients in multiple insurance matters, including relating to D&O, fidelity/dishonesty, ERISA/fiduciary, property & casualty and comprehensive liability policies in contexts including environmental, product liability, theft, and corporate shareholder derivative claims. As General Counsel at 3M he addressed issues arising from complex prior-period coverage towers for asbestos and environmental contamination claims.

As outside litigation counsel, Mr. Ziegler first-chaired numerous bench and jury trials and was lead counsel in multiple domestic and international arbitrations.  The scope of Mr. Ziegler’s experience as outside litigation counsel is illustrated by the significant decisions he won in federal and state appellate courts, including in the US Courts of Appeals for the 2d Circuit (Ceres v. Gel Partners, changing the limitations period in SEC Rule 10b5 actions), 8th Circuit (Tonka v. Luthi, determining the criteria for vicarious liability in civil RICO actions); Federal Circuit, en banc (Honeywell v. Hamilton Sundstrand, narrowing the scope of patent infringement under the doctrine of equivalents), the Delaware Supreme Court, en banc (Arnold v. Society for Savings, clarifying the scope of director protection from monetary damages for disclosure violations) and the New York Court of Appeals (NBT Bancorp v. Fleet/Norstar, clarifying the law of tortious interference in the merger context). 

His arbitration work as outside counsel included commercial disputes involving supply and distributorship agreements and complex technological issues. The parties included governments, major multi-national companies, and smaller enterprises in Brazil, Israel, Jordan, Korea, Thailand, Norway, the United States and elsewhere.

Work History:

  • Independent Arbitrator and Mediator, co-founder of AcumenADR LLC, 2019 –
  • Partner, Jenner & Block LLP, 2007-19
    • Co-Chair, International Arbitration Practice, 2008-19
    • Co-Chair, Complex Commercial Litigation Practice, 2007-08
    • Managing Partner, NY Office, 2008-15
    • Member, global Policy Committee (elected position)
  • Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, & General Counsel, 3M Company, 2003-07
    • Member, senior management Operations Committee
    • Director, 3M Investment Company (responsibility for pension plan assets)
    • Chair, Business Conduct Committee
    • Member, Pre-Acquisition Review Committee
  • Partner, Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, 1984-2002
    • Coordinator, New York Litigation Practice, 2000-02
    • Associate, 1980-83
    • Member, global Executive Committee (elected position)
  • Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, 1977-80
    • Deputy Chief Appellate Attorney, 1980
  • Associate, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, 1976-77
  • Law Clerk, U.S. District Judge Milton Pollack, S.D.N.Y., 1975-76
  • Legislative Assistant, U.S. Congressman Alphonzo E. Bell, Jr., 27th C.D. Cal., 1972-73

ADR Training:

  • AAA/ICDR/AAA Mediation Panel Conference, Rancho Mirage, California, 2023
  • AAA/ICDR/AAA Mediation Panel Conference, Nashville, 2019
  • AAA Arbitrator Continuing Education, annual "ACE" courses required for members of AAA arbitrator roster
  • AAA-ICDR Council and Columbia Law School Conference: The Future of Arbitration, 2017
  • Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, International Mediation Skills Training, 2017
  • ICDR International Symposia in Advanced Case Management Issues, 2013 and 2016
  • Basic Mediator Training, CPR, 2016
  • AAA Arbitration Fundamentals and Best Practices for New AAA Arbitrators, 2014

Teaching Engagements

Mr. Ziegler chairs the Education Committee of the New York Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and was Co-Director of the "Comprehensive Course in International Arbitration" sponsored jointly by the New York Branch and Columbia Law School, from 2019 through 2021.  In 2019 he was Co-Director of the New York Branch's “Accelerated Route to Fellowship” program and previously was on the faculty of that program.  He is teaching in the course at its session in September, 2024.

A former chair of the Committee on Professional Ethics of the New York State Bar Association, Mr. Ziegler taught a seminar on ethics and complex litigation at Columbia Law School for three semesters (1997-2000) and was a member of the faculty of the winter trial advocacy program at Cardozo Law School for many years. 

Speaking Engagements

Drawing on his experience as in-house and outside counsel, Mr. Ziegler has been a frequent author and speaker on both arbitration and mediation, as well as on compliance and governance matters. Here are some of his speaking engagements:

  • Panelist, "Motion Practice Playbook: Essential Strategies," AAA-ICDR Pre-Recorded Arbitration Advocacy Practice Tips, "Arbitration Unlocked: Cracking the Code," released May 2024
  • Lecturer, "Choice-of-Law in International Arbitration," CIArb-NY Accelerated Route to Fellowship Program, New York, December 2023
  • Panelist, "Ethical Issues in Commercial Arbitration," CCA Webinar, December 2023
  • Panelist, "Deliberation Issues," College of Commercial Arbitrators Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., October 2023
  • Panelist, “Disclosures and Other Ethical Considerations,” AAA-ICDR Panel Conference, Rancho Mirage, California, March 2023, and forthcoming CCA Webinar, December, 2023
  • Panelist, “SVAMC Panelists Debate: Proposed Procedures for Changing the Allocation of Power Between Parties and Tribunals in High Tech Arbitrations,” New York Arbitration Week 2022, Nov. 17, 2022
  • Panelist, “Award Writing,” NYSBA Comprehensive Commercial Arbitration Training Program, annually 2021-2023
  • Moderator, “Getting it Right: Should the Functus Officio Doctrine Be Reformed?”, New York Arbitration Week, Nov. 17, 2021 (NYIAC-CIArb-NY sponsors)
  • Panelist, Non-Party Witness Summonses for Remote Video Testimony in Arbitrations, CIArb-NY-IACNY joint program, Oct. 27, 2021
  • Panelist, "New Ethical Issues That Arise in an Online Arbitration Environment," ABA Dispute Resolution Section Spring Conference, April, 2021
  • Moderator, “Beyond the Basics: Thorny Issues in Conducting Real Arbitration Proceedings in a Virtual Hearing Room,” CPR, webinar, May, 2020
  • Panelist, “Conducting a Virtual Hearing in Arbitration,” NYSBA Sections of Dispute Resolution and Commercial & Federal Litigation, webinar, May, 2020
  • Panelist, “Arbitration: A Comparison of Ad Hoc and Institutional,” ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, webinar, May, 2020
  • Panelist, "Transparency in International Commercial Arbitration," CPR Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida, February 27, 2020
  • Moderator, “Arbitrating AANS Disputes,” AAA–ICDR’s Conference on Arbitrating Aerospace, Aviation and National Security Disputes, Washington, D.C., April, 2018
  • Panelist, “The View from the Top of the Ladder: Ethics and the Role of the CLO,” Association of Corporate Counsel/Fordham Law School, 2018 Ethics Marathon, April, 2018
  • Moderator, “Ethics & ADR – Telling Tales Out of School: What Can You Say and What Really Happens,” CPR 2018 Annual Meeting, Atlanta, March, 2018
  • Panelist, “Ethics Issues in Mediation,” Practical Law/CPR/Jenner live and webinar program, February, 2018
  • Panelist, “How Corporate Counsel Can Maximize Results in Arbitrating Commercial (B2B) Disputes,” American Bar Association Business Law Section Annual Meeting, Chicago, September, 2017
  • Panelist, “Recent Developments Concerning Arbitrator Conflicts – Disclosure and Challenges,” CPR Annual Meeting, Coral Gables, March, 2017
  • Panelist, “Ethics Issues in International Arbitration,” Practical Law/CPR live and webinar program, October, 2016
  • Moderator, “Ethics in Mediation/Arbitration,” 2016 CPR Annual Meeting, New Orleans, February, 2016
  • Panelist, "Business Mediation Challenges and Multiparty Techniques,” ABA/CPR webinar, October, 2015
  • Panelist, "Winning Settlement Strategies in Litigation" (Mediation), New York City Bar Association, July, 2015
  • Moderator, “’You Say Tomato / I Say Tomahto’: Jurisdictional Differences in Key Issues in ADR-III: Industry Perspectives,” 2014 CPR Annual Meeting, Charleston, February, 2014
  • Panelist, "International Dispute Resolution," Northwestern School of Law's 51st Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, Chicago, October, 2012
  • Moderator, “The Value of Enterprise Risk Management Programs,” Corporate Counsel Institute 2012, Practising Law Institute, New York, October, 2012
  • Moderator, "It’s A Shrinking World: Acceleration & Evolution In ADR," 2012 CPR Annual Meeting, New York, January, 2012
  • Panelist, “Class Action Strategies 2011” and “Ethics,” Practising Law Institute, New York, July, 2011
  • Panelist, “Ethics of Witness Preparation,” Federal Bar Council 2011 Winter Bench and Bar Conference, Los Cabos, Mexico, February, 2011
  • Panelist, The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal and Corporate Counsel Magazine 2nd Annual Litigation Summit, October, 2010
  • Moderator, “Enterprise Risk Management: What, Why and How,” Practising Law Institute Corporate Counsel Institute 2010, New York, September, 2010
  • Chair, Corporate Compliance and Ethics Institute 2010, and panelist, “The Role of the Board," Practising Law Institute, New York, June, 2010
  • Panelist, "The Aftermath: The Proper Role of Civil and Criminal Enforcement in the Wake of the Financial Crisis," Northwestern Law AGEP Inaugural Public Policy Conference, Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, April, 2009

In the News

Ziegler Chairs CPR Task Force on Remote Video Arbitration Proceedings; CPR Launches Model Procedural Rule With Annotations, April 21, 2020

"Former General Counsels of MasterCard & 3M Create AcumenADR LLC to Serve as Arbitrators and Mediators and Offer Dispute Resolution Services" - PR Newswire

"Former in-house counsel launch New York arbitrator boutique" - Global Arbitration Review (subscription)

"Former MasterCard, 3M General Counsel Form New ADR Firm" - New York Law Journal, Law.com, Corporate Counsel

"Former MasterCard, 3M GCs Start Dispute Resolution Venture" - Law360 (subscription)


Selected Publications

Mr. Ziegler has published numerous articles in the National Law Journal, Business Lawyer and other publications on various litigation-related topics, including the importance of civility in litigation practice.  His more recent articles have focused largely on topics related to alternative dispute resolution.  His publications include:

  • Co-Chair of Drafting Subcommittee, "The Functus Officio Problem in Modern Arbitration and a Proposed Solution," Arbitration Committee, New York City Bar Association, April, 2021
  • Task Force Chair, “CPR’s Annotated Model Procedural Order for Remote Video Arbitration Proceedings,” CPR, April 21, 2020; updated edition, August 26, 2021
  • Co-Author, “Commercial Arbitration: United States,” Global Arbitration Review, 2018 and 2019
  • Co-Author, Guide on Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards and Court Judgments in the United States (Initial and 2d eds.), Jenner & Block, 2017 and 2018
  • Co-Author, “Challenges to Arbitral Awards Based on Arbitrator Bias,” New York Law Journal, February 8, 2017
  • Author, “Where Are the Risks? An Assessment of Recent Developments in Mediation Confidentiality,” Alternatives, December, 2016
  • Interviewee, “Q&A With Jenner & Block’s Richard Ziegler,” Law360, April 22, 2016
  • Co-Author, “The Complications of Attaching Assets in the US in Aid of an Arbitral Award,” Dispute Resolution International, April, 2016
  • Contributor, Practicing Under the U.S. Anti-Corruption Laws, Aspen Book Publishers, 2013
  • Author, "New Obstacles in Setting the Tone at the Top...and Some Solutions," Bloomberg Corporate Law Journal, Fall 2008
  • Co-Author, "'Forthright Negotiator' Is Not an Oxymoron in Delaware," New York Law Journal, April 21, 2008
  • Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
    • Chair, Education Committee, New York Branch, 2018-23
    • Co-Director, "Comprehensive Course in International Arbitration," (CIArb/Columbia Law School), New York, 2019-2021
    • Co-Director, “Accelerated Route to Fellowship Program” (“ARF”), New York Branch, 2019 and Tutor, ARF, 2017-18
  • Fellow, College of Commercial Arbitrators ("CCA")
    • Member, CCA Ethics Committee Task Force on Arbitrator References, 2020-2022
    • Member, CCA Ethics Committee and CCA International Arbitration Committee
  • Member, Board of Directors, CPR Dispute Resolution Services, 2022 - present
  • Member, Board of Directors, International Institute of Conflict Prevention & Resolution (“CPR”), 2016 – 2022
    • Chair, CPR Task Force on Remote Video Arbitration Proceedings, 2020-21
    • Member, CPR Arbitration Committee, 2016 - present
    • Member, CPR Task Force on Arbitrator Disclosures, 2023-2024
    • Previously, member of CPR Executive Advisory Committee
  • Member of roster of arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association
    • Large Complex Case panel
    • Aerospace, Aviation and National Security Panel
  • Member, "Tech List" roster of arbitrators of the Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center
  • Member of roster of arbitrators of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution
  • Member of CPR’s panels of Distinguished Neutrals (National, General Counsel, Financial Services, Technology, and Cross-Border panels)
  • Member, USCIB/ICC USA Task Force on Disability Inclusion in International Arbitration, 2022-23
  • Member, International Arbitration Club of New York and Juror, IACNY’s Smidt-Lowenfeld prize
  • Member, New York Center for International Arbitration
  • Member, Arbitration Committee, United States Council on International Business
  • Member, International Council for Commercial Arbitration
  • Member, North American Users Group, London Court of International Arbitration
  • Member, American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section and International Law Section
  • Member, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
  • Member, International Commercial Disputes Committee, New York City Bar Association
  • Former Member, Arbitration Committee, New York City Bar Association, 2019-21
  • Chair, Task Force on BQE Project, Brooklyn Heights Association, 2018-19
  • Emeritus member, Association of General Counsel
    • Member, Executive Committee, 2006
  • Member, Board of Trustees, William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline College of Law), St. Paul, MN, 2005-08
    • Chair, Audit & Finance Committee, 2006-07
  • Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School, 1997-2000 (taught seminar “Ethics and Complex Litigation”)
  • Chair, Committee on Professional Ethics, New York State Bar Association, 1995-98
  • Member, Board of Directors, Legal Aid Society (New York), 1993-95

Admissions

  • New York, 1976
  • Minnesota, 2003-2015

Scope of this statement.  This statement explains the extent of the disclosures I am committed to making in any prospective matter.  It also explains the categories of relationships that I view as too slight or attenuated to warrant disclosure and identifies certain practical constraints on my ability to disclose some relationships.

My conflicts database and usual disclosures. I maintain a conflicts database in which I enter the names of the parties, counsel and any co-arbitrators in each of the matters in which I have participated as a neutral.  For any prospective assignment my practice is to disclose whether I have previously been or am currently engaged in any matter in which the persons or entities identified as participants in the prospective matter have appeared.  Consistent with the disclosure expectations of the various institutional administrators of arbitration proceedings, I also endeavor to disclose any other non-trivial or non-casual professional, social, familial or other relationship that I can recall having had with any person identified to me as participating in a new potential proceeding, subject to the limitations described in this statement.   

Database limitations.  I do not include in my conflicts database the names of expert or fact witnesses, corporate representatives or entities that are corporate affiliates of the parties that have appeared in my matters.  I also do not enter the names of lawyers who were not initially identified as participating in a matter and who appear thereafter in only a minor capacity; I supplement my conflicts database when necessary to identify any additional counsel who take on a significant role.  Consequently, I am typically not able to disclose any participation in my prior matters by fact or expert witnesses, corporate representatives or late-assigned attorneys with minor roles, and I am also unable to disclose if an entity involved in a prospective matter may be a corporate affiliate of a party in one of my matters.   I will, however, endeavor to disclose the participation of any such persons or affiliations if I am aware of it. 

Because expert witnesses associated with the leading expert consulting firms frequently participate in my matters (e.g., FTI Consulting, Charles River Associates, NERA, Compass Lexecon, or one of the major accounting firms), I will not disclose if an organization with which a newly-identified expert is associated has been associated with different expert witnesses who have previously appeared before me.

I do not maintain a record of inquiries I receive concerning possible selections to serve as a neutral that do not result in actual appointments and therefore am unable to disclose such inquiries.

My colleague Noah Hanft at AcumenADR LLC and I do not share any income; AcumenADR's activities are limited solely to providing  services to us for which we pay equal shares.  We also do not share any confidential information concerning any of our matters.  Consequently, I do not know, and do not seek to find out, if any of the parties or counsel in my matters currently are or previously were associated in some way with Noah. 

Subsequent relationships.  Once I have undertaken a matter I will disclose any relationships that arise thereafter while the matter is pending that involve any of that matter’s participants of which I become aware.  I typically decline to be considered for potential appointments where a party or lawyer involved in the prospective matter is participating in a matter in which I am currently serving as a neutral; I will entertain potential appointments involving a law firm that is currently appearing before me if none of the specific lawyers or parties is participating in the current matter. 

Attenuated relationships.  I am a member of numerous legal, ADR-related and other organizations (pertinent ones are identified on the list of Professional Affiliations on my website).  I attend various conferences on legal and non-legal topics.  I do not keep records of the membership of the professional organizations of which I am a member or of the other attendees of the various professional conferences I attend or of the moderators or other speakers on panels on which I have a speaking role.  Consequently, I do not disclose any such relationships.  I will disclose, however, if I am aware that I have served as a moderator of, or speaker on, a conference panel on which someone who is identified as a participant in a prospective matter has also served as a speaker or moderator.   I do not disclose if persons I have “befriended” or “connected” on LinkedIn or other social media sites, most of whom I have never met, are identified as participants in a prospective matter.

The professional meetings that I frequently attend include: meetings sponsored by the New York International Arbitration Center, the New York Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the annual meeting of CPR and meetings of its Arbitration Committee, meetings of the Board of Directors of CPR Dispute Resolution Services, the annual meeting in New York of the ICC, meetings of the International Arbitration Club of New York, meetings of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, meetings of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center and one of the twice-yearly meetings of the Association of General Counsel, of which I am an emeritus member.  I am an adjunct member of the New York City Bar Association’s International Commercial Disputes Committee.

My prior professional associations.  I retired from Jenner & Block LLP on May 31, 2019 to establish my independent practice as an arbitrator and mediator.  I withdrew as a partner from Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton on December 31, 2002 to become Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, and General Counsel of the 3M Company.  After those dates I ceased to have access to either law firm’s conflicts database.  I also ceased to have any ethical obligations to firm clients for whom I had not personally rendered services or otherwise obtained any confidential information.  Escaping the imputed conflicts of interest that accompany partnership in a major law firm was a key reason for my choice to retire from the Jenner partnership.  Consequently, I cannot disclose any connections my two prior law firms or their past or current attorneys may have with the participants in any matter in which I participate as a neutral.  I will, however, disclose any personal connection I recall having with any participants in the course of my multi-decade career as outside litigation counsel.

Financial interests.  I do not review reports of my professional investment managers to learn if I or my wife own securities of a prospective party; I do not have input into the managers' selection of specific investments and no one issuer's securities account for a material portion of our assets.  I will, however, disclose if I am aware or become aware that I or my wife own securities issued by a party or party affiliate in a proceeding for which I am being considered to serve, or am serving, as a neutral.

Family relationships.  My wife is a retired attorney, one of my sons and my daughter-in-law are each partners in law firms in Toronto, Canada, and my son-in-law is an in-house attorney at a university in New York.  I do not have access to any of their professional relationships and make no effort to determine if they have any connections to any participant in any of my matters.

Recommendations/references.  From time to time I write recommendations for various professionals upon request and on occasion I request others to serve as a reference for me.  I do not maintain any record of such recommendations or requests.  I will disclose that I have made such a recommendation, or requested that a person serve as a reference, if I recall having done so with respect to a person identified as a participant in a prospective matter.  To minimize this disclosure practice, when organizations, such as the Chambers Guide, request that I identify references, I typically list, for a given time period, all counsel who have appeared before me and all co-arbitrators with whom I have served in completed matters, without ascertaining their willingness to respond.  As a result, I do not disclose that I have identified such persons on such objectively-determined lists.

Parties and counsel considering me for appointment as a neutral are welcome to seek clarifying or follow-up information from me (through the case manager, if applicable) if they wish.

  • “Richard Ziegler is regarded by sources as ‘meticulous, thoughtful and efficient’ in his approach as an arbitrator. He is regarded as a go-to for international commercial disputes. He impresses sources with his ‘level of preparedness and insight,’ and is ‘so superlative that you would use him across the board on commercial matters; he has the exact right approach.’” Chambers Global, 2021
    International Arbitration: Arbitrators -- USA
  • "Richard Ziegler is regarded as a go-to arbitrator for international commercial disputes. 'Richard is a terrific arbitrator - his questions were on point and he is a superb writer.' 'He has phenomenal advocacy skills, he is gifted analytically and has studied the world of international arbitration.'" Chambers Global, 2022
    International Arbitration: Arbitrators -- USA
  • “Richard Ziegler is regarded as a go-to arbitrator for international commercial disputes. ‘Richard is an excellent arbitrator. He's always well prepared, thoughtful, and asks very tough questions of counsel that go to the heart of the case.’ ‘He is a fabulous chair - he's insightful, knows the law, very carefully examines the evidence, asks probing questions and produces very clearly written awards.’ ‘Richard is an excellent writer. He's also calm, measured, collegial, very patient and persuasive.’" Chambers Global, 2023
    International Arbitration: Arbitrators -- USA
  • "Richard Ziegler is regarded as a go-to arbitrator for international commercial disputes." "He's really smart and thoughtful, but doesn't get lost in the weeds and gets the critical points." "He's intellectually gifted and has superb negotiation skills." "He has an openness to everyone's views, being open to his own unconscious biases, and he comes into it very prepared and reads everything. He ... wants to get to the right outcomes and is not arrogant or is insistent on getting his way. He's committed to doing the best." "He's more often than not the smartest person in the room. He is excellent, he's diligent and he digs down deep into the issues and asks relevant, probing questions at the appropriate time." Chambers Global, 2024
    International Arbitration: Arbitrators -- USA
  • "Richard Ziegler is a phenomenal commercial arbitrator." "I would appoint him in a heartbeat. He was just brilliant, he came incredibly prepared and asked the hardest questions." "Mr. Ziegler is an outstanding choice as a neutral arbitrator in complex commercial disputes, including in the life sciences industry." "He has been a real pleasure to work with, he is a really good writer and editor, and is willing to reconsider his views when presented with different arguments, which is admirable. He is truly independent." Chambers USA, 2024
    International Arbitration: Arbitrators