Rule 1302 - List Of Arbitrators. Appointment To Board. Oath(a) Upon the filing of a praecipe for arbitration, the Prothonotary shall notify the court administrator who shall thereupon nominate a board of potential arbitrators consisting of three (3) attorneys, plus one (1) attorney for each counsel of record and each unrepresented party. The nomination shall be made from a list of members of the bar qualified to act as arbitrators, which shall be kept by the court administrator. Nomination shall be made in the order of listing, except where attorneys are excused on account of incapacity or illness, or for other reasons herein set forth. Not more than one (1) member of a firm or association of attorneys shall be appointed to the same board and no members of a firm or association of attorneys shall be appointed to a board to hear a case where another member of such firm or association of attorneys is counsel for any of the parties litigant.(b) The list of attorneys nominated to the potential board shall be sent by the court administrator to the attorney for each party and to each unrepresented party. Each such party may strike off one (1) attorney so named and return the list to the court administrator within five (5) days of receipt. The remaining three (3) attorneys shall constitute the board of arbitration. If both or all parties strike the same name or no name from the list, the first three (3) remaining names will make up the board.(c) As soon as the court administrator receives the returned list from the parties, or after (5) days if a list is not returned, he shall notify the Prothonotary of the arbitrators selected. The Prothonotary shall, within ten (10) days, notify the arbitrators in writing of their selection.(d) The first member listed for a board who has been admitted to the practice of law not less than three (3) years shall be chairman of the board and shall be responsible for the setting of the date and place of hearing, for giving notice there of to opposing counsel and to the Prothonotary, and for the filing of the board's report and award if any. The hearing must be set within sixty (60) days of the appointment of the board. (e) Once an arbitration hearing is scheduled it may be continued once by the chairperson of the board. There may be no further continuances without leave of Court.(f) The members of the board shall be sworn as arbitrators before entering upon their duties by a person authorized to administer oaths.(g) All arbitration hearings shall be held in the Mercer County Courthouse unless otherwise approved by the Court at the request of the chairperson. When the hearing is to be held outside of the Courthouse, the original file shall remain at the Courthouse; and the arbiters and parties shall familiarize themselves with the file and obtain copies thereof as necessary.Adopted July 19, 2014, effective 30 days after publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.