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All arbitrations and mediations were conducted virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our thanks to the numerous counsel and their clients who have participated in these virtual sessions and made them a success. Moving forward, virtual sessions have continued, and in-person sessions are also available with the agreement of the arbitrator/mediator, counsel, and the parties.
Charles Platto—Mediator and Arbitrator
After a long-distinguished career as a practicing nationally and internationally recognized litigator, consultant, and law professor, for the past 15 years, Charles Platto has served primarily as a mediator and arbitrator in domestic and international commercial and insurance cases.
The following is a sampling of the accolades Chuck Platto has received from both plaintiff and defense counsel:
“Mr. Platto has served as a mediator in numerous cases I have handled personally, as well as cases in which my partners were involved. I can say without reservation that Mr. Platto is an exceptionally skilled and effective mediator. He is always very well-prepared and knowledgeable about the subject matter and is able to identify a path to resolution even when the parties are very far apart. Mr. Platto is very persistent and, where appropriate, labors long after the conclusion of a formal mediation session in which a resolution was not reached, to get a case resolved and close the deal.”
“I have found Mr. Platto to be a wonderful mediator. He is highly experienced, genuinely cares about achieving a good result for all parties, and is a consummate professional. Mr. Platto’s skill truly shines through when parties appear to have reached an impasse; he exceeds at getting all parties to see the other’s side to close the settlement gap.”
“During the course of my legal career, I have participated in over five hundred (500) mediations. Mr. Platto unequivocally ranks amongst the best in the business. I would recommend him to anyone.”
“Mr. Platto’s patient and thoughtful approach to mediation were successful in facilitating discussion amongst the parties and ultimately, resolution. Furthermore, Mr. Platto’s demeanor with the parties is pleasant, and he was effective in setting a cooperative and collaborative tone. This strategy with the parties of serving as an intermediary and talking through with parties their positions and identifying concerns was a good formula and resulted in the parties agreeing to set aside their differences and agree upon a settlement.”
“I highly recommend Mr. Platto for his intellect, temperament, and capability to mediate complex disputes.”
“I spent the better part of a week with Mr. Platto mediating [a series of] cases in New York. I found Mr. Platto to be very experienced, professional, and intelligent. He has a calm demeanor, which is critical to resolving cases involving difficult personalities or parties who are emotionally invested in their cases. At one point, when it appeared that our mediation efforts were in jeopardy, Mr. Platto was able to work through the issues with the parties, separately and in joint sessions, and get the parties back on track. By week’s end, we had successfully settled [all of the cases]. Simply put, we could not have done so without Mr. Platto’s expertise.”
Charles Platto is certified as a mediator/arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and its international division, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), as well as The Center for Public Resources (CPR) International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) United States Council for International Business, FedArb.com, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Aida Insurance and Reinsurance Society (ARIAS), and Reinsurance Mediation Institute (REMEDI), and also serves as a mediator for state and federal courts in New York and New Jersey, and as a Special Master for the New York Appellate Division 2d Dept. He has conducted numerous arbitrations and mediations in domestic and international commercial and insurance matters, including insurer/policyholder disputes, insurer/insurer, and reinsurance disputes, breach of contract, mergers and acquisitions, securities, franchise, employment, landlord-tenant, intellectual property, financial/credit and technical agreements and other matters.
In 2013, Charles Platto was retained as a consultant to the American Arbitration Association to train all mediators for the AAA Superstorm Sandy mediation programs in New York and New Jersey, which were mandatory for all insurers. In 2014, he was named to the EDNY Sandy mediation panel. Between 2013 and 2016, Mr. Platto served as a mediator in over 200 Superstorm Sandy mediations.
A court administrator noted “Few mediators on our panel have been selected as often as Charles, which is a testament to the fact that he is well regarded by litigants.”
In 2020, Mr. Platto was again appointed by the American Arbitration Association to train the mediators for the potential New York Civil Commotion Insurance Coverage mediation program.
Effective January 1, 2025, Mr. Plato has been appointed to the ADR Advisory Council for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Background
Charles Platto spent the first 20 years of his career as a commercial litigation partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York and Paris. He handled a very broad variety of domestic and international matters, including insurance, reinsurance, antitrust, securities, and commodities, licensing, intellectual property, litigations, class actions, arbitrations, mediations, investigations, contract negotiation, and drafting and advice.
He served as chair of the International Litigation Committee of the International Bar Association and its Task Force on Economic Consequences of Litigation Worldwide and authored/edited several books and chapters on international litigation and arbitration. As a result of considerable practice experience in the insurance field, he also began teaching Insurance Law as an adjunct associate professor at NYU School of Law.
In the early nineties, Chuck left the Big Apple to practice and teach in Vermont and New Hampshire. He first joined a group of lawyers with major firm/major law school experience. Ultimately, along with a small group of associates and former students, he established and operated, over a period of several years, the Law Offices of Charles Platto, a national litigation boutique with a specialty in complex domestic and international commercial and insurance matters.
These small Vermont law firms (with satellite offices in New Hampshire and later in New York), among other things, represented insurance companies, major corporations, and financial institutions in matters pending throughout the United States and abroad, and were selected to submit amicus briefs on behalf of trade associations to the United States Supreme Court, the New York Court of Appeals and the Vermont Supreme Court.
In the insurance field, in addition to representing carriers on coverage and a variety of other matters, the Law Offices of Charles Platto often was involved in insurer versus insurer matters and on occasion also advised and represented policyholders where there was no conflict. In addition to insurance, matters handled included accounting, banking, direct marketing, employment, environmental, products liability, professional liability, software licensing, and a variety of commercial disputes.
For a part of this period, Charles Platto kept up his international work as a partner in charge of the US practice of Salans, a well-known international firm based in Paris. While based in Vermont, Chuck received his first assignment as an arbitrator as chair of an ICC panel in a complex dispute between a French manufacturer and an American airline customer over a flight simulator. He also appeared as counsel in a number of mediations.
During this period, Chuck initially continued to teach at NYU Law School and then transitioned to become an adjunct professor of Insurance Law at Vermont Law School, and later accepted an appointment of being an adjunct professor of Insurance Law at Fordham Law School; alternating semesters between Vermont and New York.
In 2007, the Law Offices of Charles Platto were temporarily closed when Chuck moved back to New York to develop and head the Insurance Practice Group at Wiggin and Dana, a well-regarded regional law firm. Chuck continued to teach as an adjunct professor of Insurance Law at Fordham Law School and became active in the American Bar Association as a Vice-Chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee (ICLC) of the Tort Insurance Practice Section (TIPS).
He authored/edited a number of books/chapters and articles in the insurance field and served as an editor of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Reporter. While at Wiggin and Dana, in addition to active insurance litigation and advisory practice, which often involved acting as counsel in mediations, Mr. Platto received appointments as arbitrator in American Arbitration Association commercial and financial matters.
In 2010, Mr. Platto left Wiggin and Dana to reestablish the Law Offices of Charles Platto (New York) as an independent practice. Since that time, Charles Platto has primarily practiced as a mediator and arbitrator in domestic and international commercial and insurance matters, as outlined above. He also provided expert witness advice/testimony as well as litigation management/co-counsel services in selected cases.
He continued as an adjunct professor of Insurance Law at Fordham Law School, as well as serving as vice-chair of the ABA ICLC committee, and continued his writing/editing responsibilities. He also underwent extensive arbitrator/mediator training and became involved as a member of the Arbitration, Mediation, and Dispute Resolution Section and Committees of the New York State Bar Association and New York City Bar. Beginning in 2010, he was named as a Super Lawyer for Insurance Coverage for New York.
Please click on the Attorneys, Experiences, Publications, and Contact sections for further detailed information. A full CV and experience statement for Charles Platto can be downloaded from the Attorneys section.