Legal · Holland code ECS

Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators

Facilitate negotiation and conflict resolution through dialogue. Resolve conflicts outside of the court system by mutual consent of parties involved.

Also called: Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator (ADR Coordinator), Arbitrator, Labor Arbitrator, Mediator, Arbiter, Divorce Mediator, Family Mediator, Federal Mediator.

O*NET 23-1022.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $75,530; Middle half earn $57,360 to $108,000. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: First Professional Degree; 37% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 9,100 jobs in 2024, projected 9,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Prepare written opinions or decisions regarding cases.
Apply relevant laws, regulations, policies, or precedents to reach conclusions.
Conduct hearings to obtain information or evidence relative to disposition of claims.
Determine extent of liability according to evidence, laws, or administrative or judicial precedents.
Rule on exceptions, motions, or admissibility of evidence.
Confer with disputants to clarify issues, identify underlying concerns, and develop an understanding of their respective needs and interests.
Use mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, to further parties' understanding of different perspectives, and to guide parties toward mutual agreement.
Conduct initial meetings with disputants to outline the arbitration process, settle procedural matters, such as fees, or determine details, such as witness numbers or time requirements.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening4.4 / 5
Writing4.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.1 / 5
Speaking4.1 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Learning3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.2 / 5
Law and Government4.2 / 5
Personnel and Human Resources4.0 / 5
Administration and Management3.0 / 5
Education and Training2.7 / 5
Economics and Accounting2.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic2
Investigative44
Artistic21
Social54
Enterprising61
Conventional56

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

court administrator · DE Gerichtsverwalter/Gerichtsverwalterin · FR chef de juridiction
prosecutor · DE Staatsanwalt/Staatsanwältin · FR procureur/procureure
judge · DE Richter/Richterin · FR juge
supreme court judge · DE Richter am Obersten Gerichtshof/Richterin am Obersten Gerichtshof · FR juge de la juridiction suprême
justice of the peace · DE Friedensrichter/Friedensrichterin · FR juge d’instance
notary · DE Notar/Notarin · FR notaire

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services (1163)8,000 employed
Solicitors and lawyers (2412)216,100 employed
Legal associate professionals (3520)57,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.43. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (23-1022).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test