After a 40-year career that saw him serve as arbitrator or counsel in more than 100 cases, Sullivan & Cromwell international arbitration and dispute resolution expert James Carter wasn’t ready to call it quits.

As 2010 ended, however, Carter was approaching his 67th birthday — and his firm’s retirement age. He faced a difficult choice. “In my case, one of the things I was considering was becoming a full-time arbitrator,” Carter says. “However, I decided I wasn’t ready to just do that.”