Arbitration

Arbitration is a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). ADR is an alternative form of resolving legal matters. It is an effective and less expensive way of keeping parties out of court. Regular judges frequently have neither the time nor the patience to hear disputes over furniture and furnishings, jewelry, pots and pans and the like. Arbitration can speedily resolve these relatively small issues and larger issues.

Arbitration offers you an impartial third person to resolve your legal dispute. The private arbitrator is selected by the parties or is appointed by the court. The parties present their disputed issues to the Arbitrator, who then rules in the case on the issues submitted. The Arbitrator’s decision may be binding or non-binding depending on the circumstances or agreement of the parties. Binding arbitration is the more common form, because non-binding arbitration leaves the door open for further litigation – something most arbitration clients wish to avoid.

The parties may agree to engage the Arbitrator to resolve all pending disputes between them, or may wish to only resolve a single matter, which is holding up resolution or negotiations on all other matters. In the family law context, this may include a parentage
determination, validity of a pre-nuptial agreement or post-nuptial agreement, validity of a judgment or marital settlement agreement, whether an asset is community or separate property, or other similar family law matters.