Ara Shirinian was born in Fresno, California on May 10, 1956.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of San Francisco In 1978, and his Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University of San Francisco in 1981.  Mr. Shirinian practiced law in San Francisco for 15 years prior to moving to Las Vegas in 1996.  While in San Francisco, Mr. Shirinian was associated with the law firm of Handler, Baker, Greene and Taylor, and then a partner with Conroy, Shirinian & Mahoney.  He is an experienced trial attorney who has been listed in Martindale Hubbard's Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers (A-V rated), and has been selected by Super Lawyers - Mountain States Edition in the Alternate Dispute Resolution category.

Beginning in 1998, Mr. Shirinian's practice began to shift to Alternative Dispute Resolution.  In 1998, he was appointed Settlement Judge for the Nevada Supreme Court, a position he still holds today.  Mr. Shirinian has also been appointed and currently serves as Judge Pro Temp for the Clark County District Court and Judge Pro Temp for the Clark County Justice Court.  Mr. Shirinian also currently serves as an arbitrator and mediator for the Clark County District Court, the Nevada Department of Real Estate, the State Bar of Nevada, and the National Arbitration Forum. 

Mr. Shirinian's practice is limited to Alternate Dispute Resolution.  He has conducted over 2,000 mediations and arbitrations. Mr. Shirinian has performed mediations and arbitrations on behalf of solo practitioners and nearly every major law firm in Nevada, as well as practitioners and law firms in California and Arizona.  

In 2014, Mr. Shirinian was named to the Nevada Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, an invite-only association of the nation's most respected civil-trial mediators and arbitrators.

Mr. Shirinian resides in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas.  He and his wife Lisa have two daughters, Nora and Sona.