Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc. (DRC)

What Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc. (DRC) does

Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc. (DRC) is a privately held alternative dispute resolution (ADR) firm founded in 1992 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by trial lawyer Joe Paulk. The firm provides mediation, arbitration, special master, and private judge services through a curated panel of 30+ neutrals whose credentials include former Oklahoma Supreme Court justices, appellate and district court judges, ABOTA diplomates, American College of Trial Lawyers fellows, and National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals members. DRC maintains physical offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and supports statewide Oklahoma and nationwide scheduling via a toll-free line. Leadership transitioned from founder Joe Paulk to Jim Gibbs in January 2022, with the firm publicly committing to continuity of standards.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform; its offering is fundamentally the human expertise, judicial experience, and reputational standing of its panel members. Operational infrastructure consists of a Squarespace-hosted website (drc-ok.com), an online scheduling system displaying panel availability, and LawPay as the credit-card payment processor for invoice settlement. Service breadth covers auto negligence, business disputes, construction, employment, insurance, medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability, real estate, family law, and other practice areas, with services priced quote-based per engagement rather than via a public rate card.

DRC operates a sales-led professional services model targeting attorneys and law firms (primary), insurance carriers and corporate legal departments (primary), and individuals in civil disputes (end clients of attorneys). Go-to-market relies on the professional networks and bar association involvement of panel members, the firm's website with detailed CVs of each neutral, direct scheduling contact ([email protected]), and referrals within the Oklahoma legal community. Customer logos are not publicly disclosed, and revenue, case volume, and pricing are not published; the firm is privately held with no outside funding or parent company.

Name

Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc. (DRC)

Legal name

Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc.

Website

https://drc-ok.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc. (DRC) is an Oklahoma-based alternative dispute resolution firm founded in 1992 that provides mediation, arbitration, special master, and private judge services through a panel of 30+ credentialed neutrals to attorneys, insurance companies, and corporate legal departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Dispute Resolution Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Claims Advocacy & Loss Recovery Services (FSAEADAH)

Keywords

• Mediation services
• Arbitration services
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Special master services
• Private judging services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Mediation Services: DRC generates revenue through fee-for-service arrangements for mediation sessions. Clients (attorneys and their clients) engage DRC mediators to facilitate dispute resolution. Pricing appears to be quote-based per case.
2. Arbitration Services: Revenue is generated through arbitration engagements where arbitrators render binding decisions on disputes. Billed on a per-case or per-hour basis typical of arbitration services.
3. Special Master Services: Courts appoint DRC special masters to oversee complex litigation aspects including discovery, evidentiary hearings, and fee calculations. Revenue derives from court-appointed or party-requested special master engagements.
4. Private Judge Services: DRC provides private judging services allowing parties to obtain civil judgments without public trials, conducted at DRC facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dispute Resolution Consultants is a professional services firm that provides alternative dispute resolution (ADR) through a panel of mediators, arbitrators, private judges, and special masters serving attorneys and their clients. The firm offers mediation, arbitration, special master, and private judging services across more than 40 areas of legal expertise, including business disputes, insurance, construction, employment, medical malpractice, personal injury, and oil and gas, from offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa with nationwide scheduling availability.

Product overview

Dispute Resolution Consultants (DRC) operates as a mediation-focused alternative dispute resolution firm offering a unified platform of professional neutral services. The core offerings include Mediation Services, Arbitration Services, Special Master Services, and Private Judge Services, all delivered through a roster of pre-screened panel members with extensive litigation and judicial experience. The company does not offer software products but rather professional dispute resolution services, with an associated panel member network for case scheduling and expertise matching across over 40 legal practice areas including auto negligence, business disputes, construction, employment, insurance, medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability, and real estate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mediation Services Professional mediation services delivered by DRC mediators with extensive litigation and judicial experience to help attorneys and their clients resolve civil disputes outside of court, ranging from simple to highly complex matters.
• Arbitration Services Binding arbitration services in which DRC arbitrators render fair and impartial decisions on disputes, employing organization, expertise, patience, and insight to resolve the matter.
• Special Master Services Court-appointed or party-requested neutral assistance in complex litigation, including oversight of discovery, resolution of electronic discovery disputes, in camera document inspections, apportionment of damages, and other complex case-management tasks.
• Private Judge Services Civil judgment resolution conducted at DRC's secure facilities by highly credentialed private judges, allowing parties to obtain a civil ruling without the inconvenience, delay, or exposure of a public trial.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• McEwen Group: ADR and mediation services firm led by experienced neutrals offering mediation and arbitration. Comparable boutique ADR model with overlapping service offering to DRC, though operating at smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution: Non-profit organization providing ADR rules, panel of neutrals, and dispute prevention services primarily for commercial and corporate matters. Competes with DRC for complex commercial mediations and arbitrations through an established institutional framework.
• American Arbitration Association: Long-established non-profit ADR organization administering arbitration and mediation under its own rules across a wide range of industries. Competes with DRC on arbitration and complex commercial dispute resolution, with broader institutional reach but less personalized panel curation.
• JAMS: The largest private ADR provider in the U.S., offering mediation, arbitration, special master, and private judge services across dozens of practice areas nationally. JAMS is the most direct competitor to DRC's service model but operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth.

Direct peers

• Arc Mediation: Regional ADR firm offering mediation and arbitration services with experienced neutrals, structurally similar to DRC's panel-driven boutique model in a defined U.S. market.
• FedArb: ADR provider focused on complex commercial and federal-style disputes, offering arbitration and mediation panels. Comparable professional services ADR model, with a more nationally oriented footprint than DRC.
• National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM): Nationally recognized ADR provider with a panel of retired judges and attorneys offering mediation, arbitration, and special master services. Directly comparable service mix to DRC's four offerings.
• ADR Services, Inc. Regional ADR provider offering mediation, arbitration, and neutral services with curated panels of retired judges and senior attorneys, structurally very similar to DRC. Comparable model of boutique, panel-driven ADR in a specific U.S. region.
• Resolute Systems: ADR firm offering mediation, arbitration, special master, and neutral services with curated panels of judges and trial attorneys. Closely comparable business model to DRC with similar service breadth.

Others

• National Center for State Courts: Non-profit court-improvement organization that influences court-referred ADR and special master appointments. Relevant ecosystem participant because court pipelines feed DRC special master and private judge engagements, but not a commercial competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dispute-resolution-consultants-drc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc. (DRC)