Arbitrator

Most days tend to involve a mix of pre-hearing case management, conducted hearings, and award drafting. You're often handling scheduling conferences, ruling on discovery disputes, presiding over evidentiary hearings that may stretch days or weeks, and producing reasoned awards on a timeline shorter than court but long enough to think carefully. Many arbitrators run their own practice infrastructure.

The hardest parts often involve the business-development reality — appointments come from counsel choosing you, parties agreeing on you, and roster placements at AAA or JAMS — and the variance across subject matter. A construction arbitrator's docket looks nothing like a securities arbitrator's. Building a steady appointment flow can take years, and many arbitrators bridge with mediation work or teaching.

People who tend to thrive here are decisive, fair-minded, skilled at managing complex hearings, and comfortable being the final word. If you want collaborative advocacy or the security of a salary, the practice can feel exposed. If you find satisfaction in owning the resolution of disputes that the parties chose to bring you, the role often becomes a fulfilling chapter of a long legal career.