Paul is a nationally and internationally-known arbitrator who has served on over 200+ arbitrations (including many large, complex cases, domestic and international,  as well as a number of emergency arbitrator appointments) in disputes involving claims over $100 million.  Paul’s knowledge, expertise and experience has been recognized by his peers through his election as a Fellow of the highly prestigious College of Commercial Arbitrators, an elite group of about 280 highly experienced arbitrators that have met rigorous admission standards.  In addition, for over ten years, Paul has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the U.S. News No. 1 ranked dispute resolution program, the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California, where Paul teaches a law school course in arbitration and mediation.   As a result of Paul’s extensive experience and academic study of arbitration, mediation and alternative dispute resolution, Paul has been a prolific speaker on these subjects at organizations such as the American Bar Association, American Arbitration Association,  Federal Bar Association,  American Intellectual Property Law Association,  Licensing Executives Society of the USA and Canada, Copyright Society of the USA, Los Angeles County Bar Association and Beverly Hills Bar Association.

For over 14 years, Paul has served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and its International Centre for Dispute Resolution.  In 2018, the AAA’s senior management appointed Paul to the AAA’s Large, Complex Case Advisory Committee, which is working toward improving the quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of arbitration of large, complex cases.  Also in 2018, Paul was invited by the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center to be on its prestigious “Tech List,” which is comprised of highly experienced arbitrators with extensive experience in technology-related disputes.   For many years, Paul has also been an arbitrator listed with New York-based CPR (the Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution).  A representative list of arbitration matters in which I served as arbitrator is as follows:

LARGE, COMPLEX CASE AND REGULAR DOMESTIC ARBITRATIONS

• Electronics distributor agreement, breaches of fiduciary duty, LLC dissolution and excessive executive compensation with claims of $100 million+.

• Ownership of patents on scanning technology between Fortune 1000 technology company and former employee.

• Breach of Internet website Terms of Use and unlawful misappropriation of customers between social media companies.

• Claim of excessive legal fees and legal malpractice in a patent infringement case.

• Dispute between religious Internet domain name owner and operator/licensee.

• Breach of debenture agreements between investor and medical device company.

• Breach of emissions equipment supply agreement and environmental waste processor.

• Claim of excessive fees between e-discovery provider and biotechnology company.

• Breach of temporary technology staffing services agreement.

• Claim of excessive forensic accounting expert fees.

• Breach of software license agreement and nonpayment.

• Healthcare billing, collection/reimbursement, insurance coverage disputes.

• Dental services lender and dental practice.

• Breaches of fiduciary duty in a medical practice.

• Breach of license agreements involving surgical implants.

• Multiple franchisee expansion and development disputes for Fortune 250 franchisor.

• Multiple online copyright infringement music, film and television show copying disputes among the Motion Picture Association of America, the Record Industry Association of America, Internet Service Providers, and ISP subscribers.

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATIONS

• Multiple patent infringement disputes between U.S. and China furniture manufacturers.

• License dispute between robotic surgical device provider and India-based licensee.

• Defective tablet computers from Japanese manufacturer and U.S. Distributor.

EMERGENCY ARBITRATIONS

• Dispute involving acquisition of bitcoin mining computers and software.

• Franchise expiration dispute involving national franchisor.

• Dispute between insurer and reinsurer over rights to claims processing seeking preliminary injunctive relief with respect to access to claims database.

• Franchise agreement dispute in which beverage industry franchisor sought to obtain a mandatory preliminary injunction to obtain transfer of the franchise and related assets.

HEALTHCARE AND INSURANCE ARBITRATIONS

Arbitrator in disputes involving coverage/reimbursement, medical practice governance, dental services finance, surgical implants, and emergency reinsurance claims processing.

Paul is available to serve as arbitrator in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Orange County, Phoenix, Washington, DC, New York, Boston and anywhere in the United States. Additionally, Paul has substantial experience in international arbitrations and the study of cross-cultural disputes, and is available to serve as arbitrator in international arbitrations in the United States and anywhere in the world.  Given that Paul is an Arbitrator Panelist for the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, their valuable case management services and convenient hearing rooms are available to the parties and their counsel.

Paul Burns experienced arbitrator and mediator

Mediator Paul E. Burns, Esq.
c/o Procopio
633 West 5th Street, 26th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071 

Tel: 424-303-3066
Email: paul.burns@procopio.com