Introduction

Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler confuses the lawyers who appear before her. Literally an Olympian figure in the world of international disputes, Kaufmann-Kohler served as chief arbitrator for the Olympic games at Atlanta, Nagano, and Sydney, issuing rulings that affected the fate of amateur athletes from snowboarders to gymnasts. The president of the Swiss Arbitration Association, she routinely adjudicates cases worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But statistically, Kaufmann-Kohler is an anomaly. Most arbitration lawyers have simply never practiced before a woman. "Lawyers are ...