B. Ted Howes is an independent arbitrator based in New York. Ted has acted as co-arbitrator, tribunal chair and sole arbitrator in a wide variety of complex commercial disputes, across a range of industries, under the world’s leading arbitration rules. Ted serves as arbitrator in both international and domestic disputes, with a particular focus on international arbitration.
Ted brings extensive and practical arbitration experience to his arbitrator appointments. Prior to becoming a full-time arbitrator in 2025, Ted specialized in international arbitration for over 34 years, acting as counsel for clients in arbitrations around the world in disputes governed by both common and civil law systems. During his years of practice as counsel, Ted was a partner at the international law firms of Mayer Brown LLP and (prior to that) McDermott Will & Emery LLP, where he served, respectively, as the U.S. Head of Mayer Brown’s International Arbitration Practice Group and the Global Head of McDermott Will & Emery’s International Arbitration Practice Group.
Ted has experience in the arbitration of a wide range of complex commercial disputes, including post-M&A disputes, joint venture disputes, shareholder agreement disputes, distributorship agreement disputes, franchise disputes, construction disputes, energy disputes, trademark and patent licensing disputes, employment disputes, and sales representative/brokerage disputes.
Ted has been regularly ranked by the major legal directories for international arbitration. Among other accolades, Chambers USA has described Ted as “extremely experienced in the arbitration field”, “responsive and pragmatic” and having “an in-depth knowledge of arbitration law”. Ted has been recognized as an “ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Champion” by the National Law Journal.
Ted is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). While Ted is available to sit as an arbitrator under any arbitration rules, he is registered on the panel of arbitrators for a number of premier arbitration institutions, including the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the American Arbitration Association, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center, and the Beijing Arbitration Commission/Beijing International Arbitration Center.
Ted is a U.S. delegate to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Arbitration and ADR, a former member of the Advisory Board to the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (2023-25), and a member of Arbitration Committee of the International Bar Association. Ted sits on the Board of Editors of the American Arbitration Association’s Dispute Resolution Journal.
Ted is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French and Spanish.
Ted received a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1991 and a B.A. degree from Harvard University in 1987. He was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1992.