Nine former New York Court of Appeals and appellate judges are offering their services as arbitrators in commercial cases as part of a joint venture that is officially being launched this week.

The network, founded by retired Appellate Division, First Department Justices David Saxe and James Catterson, is unique because everyone in it has appellate and trial experience. The advantage of the judges-only network is that lawyers selecting arbitrators have access to extensive written opinions that provide insight into the judges’ legal reasoning, Saxe said.