Harris T. Bock, Esq. Director SBA

Director / Distinguished Arbitrator

About Harris T. Bock

Harris T. Bock, Esquire is the Director of the Small Business Arbitration and also serves as the Director of the Dispute Resolution Institute, a premier ADR provider for over three decades. As a pioneer in the field, Mr. Bock is widely recognized as an icon in the arbitration and mediation community.

Professional Experience

Mr. Bock has devoted his practice exclusively to serving as an arbitrator, mediator, factfinder, or hearing officer for the last two decades. His areas of expertise include business, personal injury, professional malpractice, employment, insurance, partnership, law firm, and equitable distribution disputes.

Leadership and Contributions

Counsel routinely select Mr. Bock as Arbitrator or Mediator. He is also frequently chosen by the State and Federal Courts to serve as Arbitrator, Special Master, or Mediator. He is currently aSpecial Hearing Officer for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. He has authored numerous articles in the ADR field and was the founding Managing Editor of The Philadelphia County Reporter, serving in such capacity until 1990.

Educational Background

Mr. Bock was born and raised in Philadelphia. After graduating from Central High School with Barnwell Honors in 1966, he was inducted into The Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society at Temple University, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1970. Mr. Bock graduated from Villanova Law School in 1973, winning the U.S. Law Week prize for academic excellence. He received his primary mediation training at Harvard Law School in 1990 and has participated in extensive ADR training from numerous nationally respected training programs.

Teaching and Consulting

Mr. Bock is currently an adjunct professor of alternative dispute resolution at Villanova Law School and has assisted in teaching courses on dispute resolution at numerous accredited institutions. He has also taught mediation with faculty from Pepperdine University Law School's renowned Straus Institute.

Special Projects and Appointments

Mr. Bock created and implemented a unique mediation program in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas (the trial court that hears most cases) and served as the Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association ADR Committee for five years. He has served as a special ADR Consultant to governmental entities and Fortune 500 companies. For fiscal years 2009 to 2012, he was appointed by the Mayor, President of City Council, and the City Controller to serve as the Hearing Officer for the Philadelphia Water Department's proposed $318 million rate increase.