Arbitration

"When will mankind be convinced and agree to settle their difficulties by arbitration?" Benjamin Franklin

"I can imagine no society which does not embody some method of arbitration." Herbert Read

Arbitration is a process whereby the parties present their case to a third-party, private tribunal. It may be binding or non-binding and is generally a process entered into by agreement. In arbitration, the parties introduce their witnesses and evidence in a private trial setting to a third-party arbitrator or panel of arbitrators. The process is less formal than a trial at the courthouse and generally the rules of evidence and rules of procedure are relaxed in deference to a more expedited and efficient proceeding. Once the evidence is closed, the arbitrator has a designated period of time in which to make an award.

Arbitration has the advantage of generally being more efficient both in the pre-arbitration stage as well as in the arbitration hearings than a courtroom trial and because of that efficiency, it is often less costly to the parties. In arbitration proceedings, the arbitrator's primary role is to listen objectively to the evidence, ask questions of the witnesses, parties, and their attorneys and then rule or make an award in accordance with the law and equity.

Amy is an experienced arbitrator and has also tried disputes on behalf of parties to arbitration tribunals throughout the course of her practice. She brings her experiences and expertise to the process.