Knar A. Nahikian, Esq. is the founder of Knar Law & ADR. She is an experienced attorney admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey, as well as a trained mediator, arbitrator, and negotiator. Knar is also a New York State Certified Mediator and has been selected for several prestigious mediation awards and scholarships.

SPECIALTIES:
After years of representing clients in various areas of civil litigation, Knar now applies her knowledge to serve as a neutral in mediations, arbitrations, and other dispute resolution forums. Knar has subject matter experience with commercial litigation, having worked in the litigation departments of several top-tier Manhattan law firms as well as one of the largest insurance companies in the world.

Knar is trained to serve as a neutral in the following areas:

• Commercial

• Employment, EEO & FLSA

• Torts (Personal injury)

• Surrogate (Trusts & Estates)

• Community Dispute Resolution Center, community mediation model

• Conflict Coaching and Resolution

• Workplace Disputes

COURTS:
In addition to working with private clients, Knar also serves in the following federal, state, and local court appointed positions:

• Court Mediator: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, New York State Supreme, and NYC Civil Court

• Court Arbitrator: NYC Civil Court, Small Claims Part

• Mediation Advocate for pro se litigants in employment discrimination cases: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

SERVICE AND DISTINCTIONS:
Knar is a member of the New York City Bar Association (City Bar), the New York State Bar Association (NY State Bar), the Armenian Bar Association, and the Association for Conflict Resolution- Greater New York Chapter.

Knar was selected to serve on the ADR Committee of the City Bar and is the appointed Secretary of the Committee for the term 2021-2023. She also serves on several committees of the NY State Bar Dispute Resolution Section, including the Mediation Committee and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Knar is committed to the ideals of Diversity & Inclusion and Access to Justice.* She was selected by the American Arbitration Association and is a AAA Higginbotham Fellow (2020-2022). She was also selected by the NY State Bar for its 2018-2019 Diversity Mentorship Program, by the NY State Bar again for its 2020 Diversity Scholarship Program, and by the AAA for its 2020 Diversity Scholarship. Knar gives back to the community by volunteering in many programs, including as a community mediator and coach for the apprenticeship program at IMCR, a community dispute resolution center for Bronx County, as a judge for the American Bar Association mediation tournaments, and as a volunteer mediator for several NYC courts.

In 2021, she co-founded a mentorship program for new mediators in a joint collaboration between the NYC Civil Court and the New York State Bar to help mediators from diverse backgrounds gain experience and guidance from more seasoned mediators. She also co-founded and moderated a webinar hosted by the City Bar (and co-sponsored by several affinity bars) aimed at providing valuable information for new mediators to gain the experience necessary for admittance to mediator rosters.

*To support greater access to justice for all, Knar will accept a limited number of cases on a pro bono basis or contingency fee basis, as her schedule allows. Please contact us to see whether your case may qualify for pro bono or contingent fee arrangements.