William C. Heekin

120 East Fourth Street, Suite 425

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(513) 241-7644

Fax: (513) 241-1727

Email:

ADR

SUMMARY

Professional career has mostly been spent in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), mainly serving as arbitrator, mediator, and factfinder regarding the resolution of more than 700 labor disputes. In addition to having worked as an ADR practitioner, has extensive experience regarding the training of arbitrators, mediators, and factfinders; as well as advocates in the ADR process.

EXPERIENCE

1979 – 1985Held the position of Labor Tribunal Administrator in the Cincinnati regional office of the American Arbitration Association (AAA). There, responsibilities included the daily administration of the 700 to 800 labor arbitration cases then annually filed, as well as organizing arbitration and mediation education seminars. From 1983 to 1985, interned with Arbitrator Charles L. Mullin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as part of beginning private arbitration practice.

1985-PresentIn private practice as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) neutral concerning the resolution of collective bargaining, labor/management disputes and individual rights, employment disputes. Included on arbitration rosters maintained by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Mediation Board, etc. In 1989, became a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA). In addition to having served as arbitrator in many different private industries; public sector experience includes the resolution of disputes in the public service fields of police, fire, education, as well as state, county, and municipal civil service employees.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SUMMARY

Has several years of international development experience almost entirely centered on aiding the transition to democracy and a free market economy in a number of the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This experience has mostly been through the American Bar Association, Central East European Law Initiative (ABA/ CEELI) in the capacity of both rule of law liaison and legal specialist. As an ABA/CEELI liaison responsibilities included general in-country program management oversight, as well as management of the local staff. Additionally, it involved close coordination with USAID in order to develop and execute the USAID strategic plan for in-country development.

EXPERIENCE

BelarusABA/CEELI, Rule Of Law Liaison (September, 1997- August, 1998, June, 2000 - August, 2000, January, 2002 – March, 2002). While the tasks and responsibilities of a liaison have previously been mentioned, the local partners were almost entirely non governmental organizations (NGOs). These NGOs included the Belarussian Chamber of Commerce, International Court of Arbitration (BCCICA), the Belarussian Congress of Democratic Independent Trade Unions (BCDITU); the Belarussian Organization of Working Women (BOWW); and the Belarussian Women Lawyers Association (BWLA). The work mainly involved institutional development support and technical assistance; the latter having included the training of arbitrators and lawyers, as well as organizing and participating in “street law” seminars directed towards educating average citizens regarding rule of law principles and their individual legal rights.

RomaniaABA/CEELI, Rule Of Law Liaison (October- December, 2000, February-March, 2001,June-August, 2001, and September-November, 2001). Responsibilities included a variety of support services as to the continuation of a longstanding court administration reform project in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, as well as a project concerning the development of seven NGO, regional judges associations. In addition, participated in the startup or continuation of a number of ADR projects in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labor, and the Romanian Office of Ombudsman. Also, the ADR programming involved NGO partners such as the Timisoara Chamber of Commerce, Court of Arbitration regarding the arbitration of commercial disputes and the Iasi Center for Mediation and Public Safety regarding the mediation of labor disputes.

BelarusABA/ CEELI, Legal Specialist (May, 1997, October, 1998, February, 1999, July, 1999, and March, 2000). The work entailed the providing of technical assistance mainly in the areas of institutional development; arbitrator as well as lawyer skills training; and street law education.

BulgariaABA /CEELI, ADR Legal Specialist (February, 1999, July, 1999, September, 1999, and January, 2001). The work mainly entailed providing technical assistance regarding institutional development, as well as arbitrator and mediator skills training. This was mostly in conjunction with two local partners: The Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) office of arbitration and mediation concerning the resolution of commercial disputes; as well as the Bulgarian Labor Ministry’s newly created, mediation institute which was established to assist in the resolution of labor disputes.

SlovakiaABA/CEELI, ADR Legal Specialist (February, 1999). Participated in a conference organized mainly for the purpose of introducing basic ADR concepts to the Slovakian legal community.

UkraineABA/CEELI, ADR Legal Specialist (March, 2000). Participated in two conferences where basic ADR concepts were introduced; one held in Kiev involving 3 NGO, environmental public action committees (EPAC) and the other held in Donetsk involving the Donetsk Bar Association.

RussiaABA/CEELI, ADR Legal Specialist (June, 1998). Conducted an assessment regarding an ABA/CELLI project involving the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, International Court of Arbitration.

GeorgiaWorld Learning/START/Caucasus – Georgia (May, 2003). Conducted an ADR assessment and initial training mainly involving the Georgia International Court of Arbitration (GICA).

CroatiaConsultant to the Management Systems International (MSI)/USAID

Tripartite Dialogue Project (2002 – 2003). The work involved the organizing and implementation of a project to assist the Croatian government, as well as various Croatian employers and trade unions in their joint effort to establish an institutionalized system of labor dispute resolution. Activities included the providing of institutional development, technical assistance and mediator skills training.

EDUCATION

Salmon P. Chase School of Law – J.D. (1983)

Xavier University – B.A. (Economics, 1977)

PERSONAL

U.S. Citizen

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

National Academy of Arbitrators

Ohio Bar Association

American Bar Association