Rule 3 - Eligibility of Arbitrators(a)Qualification Requirements for Arbitrators. The chief district court judge shall receive and approve applications for persons to be appointed as arbitrators. Arbitrators so approved shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing court. A person seeking to be added to the list of eligible arbitrators shall:(1) Be a member in good standing of the North Carolina State Bar;(2) Have been licensed to practice law for five years;(3) Shall have been admitted in North Carolina for at least the last two years of the five-year period. Admission outside North Carolina may be considered for the balance of the five-year period, so long as the arbitrator was admitted as a duly licensed member of the bar of a state(s) or a territory(ies) of the United States or the District of Columbia;(4) Shall complete the arbitrator training course prescribed by the Administrative Office of the Courts or their training designee;(5) Shall observe at least one arbitration conducted by an arbitrator already on the list of approved arbitrators as provided for herein; and(6) Have a valid email address.(b)Application Process. The person seeking eligibility as an arbitrator shall submit: (1) a completed application on an approved form provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts; and (2) documented proof of the qualifications as set forth in Arb. Rule 3(a) shall be attached to the application form and submitted to the chief district court judge or designee in each judicial district in which the applicant intends to serve as an arbitrator. (c)Oath of Office. Arbitrators shall take an oath or affirmation similar to that prescribed in N.C.G.S. § 11-11, on a form promulgated by the Administrative Office of the Courts, before conducting any hearings. Said oath shall be administered by the chief district court judge or designee. A copy of the oath shall be filed by the applicant with the clerk in each county in which they serve.(d)Arbitrator Ethics; Disqualification. Arbitrators shall comply with the Canons of Ethics for Arbitrators promulgated by the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Arbitrators shall be disqualified and must recuse themselves in accordance with the Canons.(e)Conflict. An arbitrator shall be prohibited from participating, serving or being involved in any capacity, in any case wherein they previously served as an arbitrator. An arbitrator shall also be prohibited from participating in other cases, in any capacity, wherein the parties and/or issues arise from a case over which the arbitrator presided.(f)Complaints. All complaints against an arbitrator shall be filed with the chief district court judge or designee for the county in which the arbitration giving rise to the complaint was conducted using a form promulgated by the Administrative Office of the Courts.Amended effective 12/23/2020.