2024 California Rules of Court
Standard 17. Marketing
(a) An arbitrator must be truthful and accurate in marketing his or her services. An arbitrator may advertise a general willingness to serve as an arbitrator and convey biographical information and commercial terms of employment but must not make any representation that directly or indirectly implies favoritism or a specific outcome. An arbitrator must ensure that his or her personal marketing activities and any activities carried out on his or her behalf, including any activities of a provider organization with which the arbitrator is affiliated, comply with this requirement.
(Subd (a) amended effective July 1, 2014.)
(b) An arbitrator must not solicit business from a participant in the arbitration while the arbitration is pending.
(c) An arbitrator must not solicit appointment as an arbitrator in a specific case or specific cases.
(Subd (c) adopted effective July 1, 2014.)
(d) As used in this standard, "solicit" means to communicate in person, by telephone, or through real-time electronic contact to any prospective participant in the arbitration concerning the availability for professional employment of the arbitrator in which a significant motive is pecuniary gain. The term solicit does not include: (1) responding to a request from all parties in a case to submit a proposal to provide arbitration services in that case; or (2) responding to inquiries concerning the arbitrator's availability, qualifications, experience, or fee arrangements.
(Subd (d) adopted effective July 1, 2014.)
Standard 17 amended effective July 1, 2014.
Comment to Standard 17
Subdivision (b) and (c). Arbitrators should keep in mind that, in addition to these restrictions on solicitation, several other standards contain related disclosure requirements. For example, under standard 7(d)(4)-(6), arbitrators must disclose information about their past, current, and prospective service as an arbitrator or other dispute resolution for a party or attorney in the arbitration. Under standard 8(b)(1)(C) and (D), in consumer arbitrations administered by a provider organization, arbitrators must disclose if the provider organization has coordinated, administered, or provided dispute resolution services, is coordinating, administering, or providing such services, or has an agreement to coordinate, administer, or provide such services for a party or attorney in the arbitration. And under standard 12 arbitrators must disclose if, while an arbitration is pending, they will entertain offers from a party or attorney in the arbitration to serve as a dispute resolution neutral in another case.
These provisions are not intended to prohibit an arbitrator from accepting another arbitration from a party or attorney in the arbitration while the first matter is pending, as long as the arbitrator complies with the provisions of standard 12 and there was no express solicitation of this business by the arbitrator.