In many civil actions, a trip to court can be avoided.  Settling a legal dispute without trial avoids the expense, delay and uncertainty of the American civil justice system.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) encompasses a bundle of techniques aimed at resolving disputes without full-blown litigation.  More and more, individuals and institutions see this as a viable and desirable option to the traditional adversarial judicial processes and an overburdened court system.

ADR often resolves disputes more quickly and efficiently because the parties can have more involvement and control over the process and outcome.  ADR generally involves negotiation, mediation or arbitration.  Negotiation allows the disputants themselves to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.  Arbitration involves a third-party decision maker who can render a binding decision.  Mediation falls somewhere in the middle of negotiation and arbitration by allowing a third party to try to arrange a settlement between the competing parties.  Our panel of neutrals includes highly respected former State Supreme Court justices and experienced members of our firm.

At Wilson Elser, our attorneys are committed to providing quality legal services to our clients without sacrificing cost-efficiency.  We explore new ways to better serve clients' needs.  The use of ADR as an effective and efficient method of resolving disputes should be considered as a practical alternative to more traditional litigation.

In addition to negotiation, arbitration and mediation, the services of our ADR practice include case evaluation, conciliation, facilitation, fact-finding and minitrials.  Our attorneys can act as advocates to parties in these areas or can take a broader role in settling disputes as hearing officers, judicial referees and settlement judges.