Merril Hirsh of HirshADR PLLC and the Law Office of Merril Hirsh PLLC in Washington, D.C. www.merrilhirsh.com began his career with the United States Department of Justice Civil Division and has litigated for over 37 years.  He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in public and private practice and arbitration.  He is a member of the International Task Force on Mixed-Mode Dispute Resolution organized by the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution, the College of Commercial Arbitrators and the International Mediation Institute.  He is the co-chair of of the American Bar Association Judicial Division Lawyers Conference Committee on Special Masters, and was the convenor of the ABA Working Group that drafted the Guidelines for the Appointment and Use of Special Masters in Federal and State Civil Litigation.   He is also a hearing examiner for the DC Board of Professional Responsibility, a member of the mediation panel for the DC Court of Appeals.  He is also a member of the Academy of Court Appointed Masters and is a two-time recipient of its Civil Justice Award.