Business Arbitration and Mediation
How to dodge litigation lunacy with free-market justice
The story is all too familiar: A small business owner and a partner (client, customer, investor, etc.) have a business dispute they can't seem to resolve. No one will budge. Threats of legal action, phone calls and letters are exchanged. Everybody is upset, and productivity is suffering under the stress. Neither side can afford to get bogged down in a lawsuit. So where can you turn for help? Look into something called "alternative dispute resolution" or ADR, which includes arbitration and mediation. ADR is:- User-friendly (often does not involve attorneys)
- Inexpensive (by far, compared to lawsuits and legal fees)
- Helping to resolve hundreds of thousands of business disputes yearly.
Mediate business disputes online, right from your desktop
Online mediation services help you resolve disputes from the comfort of your office. Mediate form different cities, states and countries with desktop video conferencing.
Try: Cybersettle is a terrific online settlement and dispute resolution firm with patented technology that reduces expenses and speeds up settlements. See how Cybersettle works. MediationFirst offers desktop video-conference mediation. Just secure the willingness of other parties to participate, pay a deposit, register the case and set up the technology. Judicial Arbitration & Mediation Services (JAMS) also offers dispute resolution by videoconferencing.
Take it to the arbitration and mediation leader
The American Arbitration Association is a world leader in business dispute resolution services.
Try: AAA (no, NOT the auto folks) is a not-for-profit public service organization that offers business arbitration and mediation services worldwide, helping resolve hundreds of thousands of cases yearly. They provide a forum for hearing disputes via offices nationwide. See how to file a case and a section on Internet domain name disputes.
Dodge litigation lunacy with free market justice
Several great, private arbitration/mediation firms offer services in cities across the country.
Try: Judicial Arbitration & Mediation Services (JAMS) offers dispute resolution in many cities nationwide and has experts in a huge number of specialty areas. Great ADR tips and a My JAMS area to submit a case online. Learn the difference between mediation and arbitration. Check JAMS locations. Resolute Systems has offices serving all 50 states in all types of disputes. United States Arbitration & Mediation (USAM) is a private firm with a network of ADR professionals you can hire to help resolve disputes.
Locate conflict resolution organizations in your state or city
There are dozens of state and regional groups that provide mediation services or have members that do so.
Try: Mediate.com has a helpful list of conflict resolution organizations. Global Arbitration Mediation Association (GAMA) has free online directories you can use to locate the right type of mediators or other resources for resolving business disputes.
Resolve customer disputes with Better Business Bureau solutions
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) helps resolve business disputes with common sense alternatives to expensive and time-consuming legal actions.
Try: BBB Dispute Resolution programs are run through local BBBs, under the direction of the group's national umbrella organization, the Council of Better Business Bureaus. BBB offers several levels of help, from informal dispute settlement advice and services, to more structured mediation and arbitration. BBB Care is designed to help small businesses and their customers resolve problems quickly and inexpensively without involving attorneys.
- Mediation is a voluntary process, bringing a neutral third-party into a negotiation as a facilitator. It may or may not lead to an agreement between the parties.
- Arbitration is a process agreed to by the parties in which, at its conclusion, a neutral third-party will impose a binding agreement on both parties.
Copyright © 2011 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.