ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION Mediation provides an opportunity for individuals to settle disputes outside of court. In mediation, a neutral third party (the mediator) helps people come to a resolution of their conflict. A mediator does not decide the case or impose a solution. Instead, the mediator’s role is to assist individuals involved in the dispute to negotiate with each other in a constructive manner and hopefully obtain a settlement based on their common interests. Mediation has consistently proved to be a time efficient and cost effective method of settling disputes. Arbitration is another method of resolving a case outside of the court process. In that instance, the parties agree to submit their respective positions to a neutral third party (the arbitrator) for a binding decision. As in the case of mediation, arbitration is often times a preferred approach to conflict resolution as it may respond best to the specific needs and interests of the parties.
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