American Arbitration Association Opens Specialized Web3 Dispute Panel

The new panel integrates arbitrators with deep experience across law, academia, and technology. These specialists are tasked with navigating disputes involving tokenization, agentic commerce, and blockchain infrastructure—environments where traditional legal frameworks often struggle with issues of asset control and contract interpretation.

Eric Dill, the AAA’s head of panel relations, emphasized that while these matters occur in highly technical settings, they remain rooted in familiar commercial questions. The organization is actively recruiting additional experts to ensure the panel keeps pace with emerging business models and cross-border enforcement demands.

Initial members include Dr. Kabir Duggal of Akin Gump, David L. Evans of Murphy & King, and Professor David A. Hoffman from the University of Pennsylvania. The group also features Paula Pendley of Nelson Mullins and Rich Widmann, the global head of Web3 strategy at Google Cloud. This launch marks a significant step in the AAA’s long-term effort to establish enforceable ADR standards for AI-enabled and automated commercial activity as the organization celebrates its centennial year.