Charles R. (“Chuck”) Ragan serves as an independent arbitrator based out of Minneapolis. He began his work in ADR while he was a partner at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro in San Francisco and served at as a member of a special task force that Chief Judge Robert Peckham and Magistrate Judge Wayne Brazil of the Northern District of California established to develop the court's Early Neutral Evaluation and Mediation programs. With Pillsbury, Chuck handled complex commercial cases and international arbitrations from the firm’s San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices for domestic and international clients, and served as an arbitrator, early neutral evaluator, and mediator.
In addition to being a member of the Tech List, Chuck is a member of the ICDR International Panel, the AAA Commercial (including Large & Complex Cases) and Consumer Panels, and a panelist with other domestic and international organizations.
ILLUSTRATIVE RECENT ARBITRATION ENGAGEMENTS: Panel Chair in contract dispute regarding taxes and fees associated with the international transport and sale of gasoline; sole arbitrator over contract and unconscionability claims; party-appointed wing arbitrator in dispute over termination of international beverage distribution arrangement; sole arbitrator in international arbitration alleging gray-marketing violations of distribution agreement; party-appointed wing arbitrator in dispute over milestone payments following medical device firm acquisition; sole arbitrator of contract and fraud claims asserted by former spouse and business partner; emergency arbitrator in several matters; sole arbitrator in dispute over appropriateness of investment advice; sole arbitrator through hearings and awards in several matters involving financing.
ILLUSTRATIVE MATTERS AS COUNSEL: Lead counsel in arbitration between foreign distributor and American medical device manufacturer over IP and marketing rights; co-lead in arbitration between biotech drug manufacturer and licensee involving enforceability of foreign patents.
Chuck is also Of Counsel with the Florida-based Gunster law firm; through his work with The Sedona Conference® he has participated in the development of principles and best practices for information governance including e-discovery; and he has taught law at the University of Minnesota, UC Law San Francisco (f/k/a Hastings College of the Law), and Hamline University.
Chuck earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his J.D. from Fordham University, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. He currently resides in Minneapolis and is admitted in California, Minnesota, and New York.
Chuck Ragan
