Chapter 13 - § 13.4 • PRE-HEARING CONFERENCES AND ORDERS

• Jurisdiction: Colorado

§ 13.4 • PRE-HEARING CONFERENCES AND ORDERS

The CRUAA, C.R.S. § 13-22-215(1) (2016), provides:

The authority conferred upon the arbitrator by this part 2 shall include, but not be limited to, the power to hold conferences with the parties to the arbitration proceeding before the hearing. . . .

There are no equivalent provisions in the FAA, but the arbitrator, through custom and usage, has the inherent power to hold such pre-hearing conferences.

AAA Commercial Arbitration Rule R-21 is more explicit:

(a) At the discretion of the arbitrator, and depending on the size and complexity of the arbitration, a preliminary hearing should be scheduled as soon as practicable after the arbitrator has been appointed. The parties should be invited to attend the preliminary hearing along with their representatives. The preliminary hearing may be conducted in person or by telephone.
(b) At the preliminary hearing, the parties and the arbitrator should be prepared to discuss and establish a procedure for the conduct of the arbitration that

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