A bitterly contested law-firm dissolution dispute will head to arbitration on the narrow issue of partner credit for bringing in cases after a state appeals court reversed a ruling that had allowed the arbitrator to decide the scope of certain issues.

The Appellate Division, First Department court has ruled that the "arbitration clause in the operating agreement of the now dissolved law firm is contained in a paragraph on dissolution of the partnership," and that the "narrow clause provides for arbitration of one issue only: which partner originated each case that remained unresolved on the date of the dissolution of the partnership."