Page 16 - JanuaryFebruary26 Report

A Better Way to Arbitrate:
the case for cbadr
By John Pinney
In 2011, the Cincinnati Bar Association took a
bold step in establishing the Cincinnati Bar Asso-
ciation Arbitration Service, later renamed the
Cincinnati Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Service
(CBADR), the only bar association administered alter-
native dispute resolution service in Ohio. The purpose
for CBADR is simple. There are many legal disputes
that can and should be resolved promptly and effi-
ciently through mediation and arbitration. Especially
for commercial disputes involving Cincinnati parties,
CBADR arbitration offers parties the ability to elect
a dispute process before well-known and trusted
Cincinnati lawyers/arbitrators who are members of the
CBADR panel of arbitrators. Each of the panelists has
a full biography along with their hourly fee listed on
the CBADR website (www.cincybar.org/ADR).
Why Choose CBADR arbitration?
CBADR has a fee structure that was established
to be much less expensive than AAA or JAMS.
Coupled with modern, well-drafted arbitration rules,
choosing CBADR Arbitration enables parties to get
their disputes fairly and justly resolved both promptly
and efficiently. Under the CBADR Arbitration Rules,
parties may opt for a sole arbitrator or a panel of three
arbitrators.
16 | january/february 2026 cba report
Lower Arbitration Fees
No matter what the amount in dispute is, the
filing fee for CBADR Arbitration is $500, with no
additional fees charged to the parties.1 In compar-
ison, the AAA administrative fees for a $100,000
case is $4,200, for a $300,000 case — $9,000, and for
a $500,000 case — $14,175. For JAMS, it charges a
$2,000 initial filing fee and then a 13% surcharge that
is added to the arbitrator’s fees. The net effect is that
the total cost for choosing CBADR Arbitration for
any dispute is thousands of dollars less than AAA
and JAMS.
Amount in Dispute Total Fees Charged to Parties
Sole Arbitrator CBADR AAA* JAMS**
$100,000 $500 $4,200 $2,650
$300,000 $500 $9,000 $3,300
$500,000 $500 $14,175 $3,950
$1,000,000 $500 $18,600 $4,600
*AAA - Commerical Rules. ** JAMS - Assumes 10 hrs for $100,000,
20 hrs for $300,000, 30 hrs for $500,000 & 40 hrs for $1 million.