Michele S. Riley is a mediator and arbitrator, handling disputes in the areas of commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, corporate governance and general corporate law. As a member of its National Roster of Neutrals, she mediates a wide range of business disputes for the American Arbitration Association. She has also been appointed to several Panels of Distinguished Neutrals of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. As a court-approved mediator, she mediates litigated cases in the court-annexed Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Programs of the New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division, and the Federal district courts in New York. She also arbitrates securities and employment disputes for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Riley complements her ADR practice by teaching courses in conflict resolution theory and practice at the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, Columbia University. She is a recent past co-chair of the Commercial Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution. She is also a member of the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association.
Before starting her ADR career, Riley practiced law for more than 20 years. She has extensive international experience in cross-border commercial transactions, representing clients while working for law firms in both New York and Tokyo, Japan. She is a former general counsel of a U.S.-based subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation.
