Opinion ID: 889038
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: administrative matters - setting up panels

Text: 3.1 The State Bar shall administer this program through its Executive Director. The State Bar will appoint members to the arbitration panel in various judicial districts, composed of an equal number of attorneys and lay persons who reside in the district. The initial term of appointment shall be three (3) years and such appointment may be renewed for a successive term or terms. In cases where there are an insufficient number of attorneys and/or lay persons for a panel, the matter will be reviewed by a panel in a judicial district chosen by the State Bar, based on availability of panelists. In such cases, either party may participate by telephone conference call at their own expense if requested if the location of the hearing requires them to travel 100 miles or more. 3.2 The term of any board member which ends for any reason while an arbitration is pending shall be extended until such arbitration is concluded, but such extension shall not interfere with the State Bar's power to appoint a successor to the judicial district panel. 3.3 The panel members in each judicial district shall be appointed from as broad a spectrum of the practicing Bar and general public as possible. 3.4 Each person appointed to a panel as provided in 3.1 shall also be a member of the statewide fee arbitration panel once that person has actually served as an arbitrator on a local board. Such statewide appointment shall be for the duration of their term on the local panel. Members of the statewide panel may be called upon in the event panelists are not available in a certain judicial district. IV. AMOUNTS IN DISPUTE WHICH MAY BE ARBITRATED UNDER THESE RULES Any disputed amount of $500.00 or more may be arbitrated. The disputed amount may include fees and costs paid, charged, or claimed for professional services by attorneys. If only a portion of a fee and/or costs is disputed, that portion must be at least $500.00. 2