Shawn Aiken

Shawn K. Aiken devotes his practice exclusively to arbitration and special-master appointments in complex commercial disputes. He accepts new arbitral appointments only through the American Arbitration Association and International Centre for Dispute Resolution.

Since 1995, Shawn has received more than 300 arbitral appointments and issued more than 160 awards. He serves as sole arbitrator and frequently chairs three-member panels. His arbitration practice draws on more than 30 years of trial and litigation experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in business disputes.

Representative matters include business sales and failed mergers; partnership, shareholder, and corporate-governance disputes; technology and intellectual-property licensing; real-estate transactions and valuation; construction and development; franchise relationships; healthcare businesses and medical-services agreements; lending and financial services; trade secrets and unfair competition; executive employment and restrictive covenants; and claims involving fraud and fiduciary duties.

Shawn has extensive experience with complex economic damages, including lost profits, business and asset valuation, loss causation, mitigation, financial statements, accounting principles, expert damages models, and statistical analysis.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the College of Commercial Arbitrators. He has been listed among Super Lawyers’ Top 50 Arizona Lawyers from 2009 through 2026. Best Lawyers in America named him Phoenix Lawyer of the Year for Arbitration in 2019, 2021, and 2026 and for Mediation in 2012 and 2015.

In September 2026, Shawn was selected for the American Arbitration Association’s AI Ambassador program and appointed to its AI-Driven Commerce & Automated Transactions Working Group.

Before retiring from mediation in February 2026, Shawn mediated more than 1,100 matters.

For current information and a downloadable résumé, visit https://shawnaiken.com.

BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS

• Arizona, 1983

• U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, 1983

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1983

• Supreme Court of the United States, 2010

EDUCATION

• Arizona State University, J.D., 1983

• St. Olaf College, B.A., cum laude, 1980

SELECTED ARBITRATION TRAINING

• AAA, Dealing With Delay Tactics in Arbitration, 2007

• AAA, Chairing an Arbitration Panel: Managing Procedures, Process & Dynamics, 2006

• AAA, Arbitration Awards: Safeguarding, Deciding & Writing Awards, March 2005

• AAA, Practical Tips for Dealing with Delay Tactics of Parties and Advocates, March 2005

• AAA, Arbitrator Ethics & Disclosure, May 2004

• AAA, Commercial Arbitrator II Training, January 2002

• AAA, Arbitrator Update, 2001

• AAA, Commercial Arbitrator Training, January 1999

• AAA, Introductory Arbitrator Training, June 1995

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND SERVICE

• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (2015)

• Fellow, College of Commercial Arbitrators (2009)

• Fellow, American College of Civil Trial Mediators (2017)

• Fellow, Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals (2018)

• Charter Member, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals

• Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association and International Centre for Dispute Resolution (1995 - present) 

• American Arbitration Association AI Ambassador; member of the AI-Driven Commerce & Automated Transactions Working Group (2026–present)

Arbitration Rate: $795 per hour. Arbitration and special-master appointments only. New arbitral appointments are accepted exclusively through the AAA and ICDR. Available in person and by videoconference. Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis, and New York without travel fees; nationwide by arrangement.