The primary purpose of this blog is to educate lawyers and clients about arbitration law. So, what better way to celebrate my fourth blogiversary than with an awesome new infographic about compelling arbitration! Making a motion to compel arbitration is trickier than it seems. When people call me for advice, I often have to tell them they missed a key analytical step. So, I worked with my firm’s marketing team and a graphic designer and came up with a one page pictorial summary of the analysis lawyers and judges should follow when they consider compelling arbitration – it starts with what court you should be in, and what law you should apply, identifies which issues are appropriate for courts to decide, and leads you through other key issues on a path either to arbitration or court. Now, some caveats. Of course I cannot put every nuance of 90 years of federal case law interpreting the Federal Arbitration Act on a single page (at least not while keeping it attractive). So, this infographic should be considered a big picture checklist to ensure you considered each of the major issues and are on the right track, and not a comprehensive list of everything you might possibly need to know. For the same reason, this picture cannot take the place of a real live lawyer, who knows something of the facts of your case and can give you case and jurisdiction-specific advice. Finally, if you end up in an English roundabout while following the arrows, going in circles instead of toward any destination, I advise you to try again without the cocktail or just give me a call. (Note: You’ll want to click on the infographic for a high resolution PDF version. It’s a bit small to read otherwise.) ** Have I succeeded in educating you or someone you know about arbitration? If so, please nominate my blog for the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100 list here. I would be honored to have ArbitrationNation recognized for a fourth consecutive year.

Decision Flowchart for Compelling Arbitration
Decision Flowchart for Compelling Arbitration (Select image to open a high resolution PDF.)