Dispute Resolution in Cyberspace
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods have been in use since the early days of civilization.(1) In the middle ages, crimes were seen as acts of injury caused by one person against another. The parties were expected to reach an agreement that would restore both parties and the community to a state where all involved healed from injury.(2) As civilization has evolved, so has the types of conflicts and perspectives on conflict. The basic premise of conflict will always be the same: “an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive scarce resources, incompatible goals and interference from the other party in achieving their goals.(3)
However, the ways in which parties
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These conflicts are different from traditional disputes, therefore, new methods of ADR need to be developed to meet the needs of these users.
On May 22, 1996, the National Center for Automated Information Research (NCAIR), held a conference on On-Line Dispute Resolution in Washington, D.C. This conference brought together experts from the Cyberlaw Institute (CLI), Georgetown University, American Arbitration Association (AAA),Villanova Center for Information Law and Practice and MCI.(8) These experts discussed and designed regulations for the first active online ADR system on the Internet. Since May 1996, other organizations have set up shop online.
The three common ADR methods that are used on the web are arbitration, mediation and ombuds. Arbitration used in the Virtual Magistrate project and CyberTribunal, is a process where a neutral third party hears a presentation by the disputing parties and makes a decision which can be legally binding. Arbitrators traditionally received their power from the contracts of the parties.(9) Most contracts have arbitration clauses stating that if the parties become
Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR) is any method of resolving disputes other than by litigation. Public courts may be asked to review the validity of ADR methods, but they will rarely overturn ADR decisions and awards if the disputing parties formed a valid contract to abide by them. The two major forms of ADR are arbitration and mediation; but we can also
Negotiation is the simplest form of ADR. The parties in a legal dispute will try to reach a voluntary settlement through discussion. The representatives of AMF and Brunswick could have used this option as well. It is more cost effective than arbitration because a third party is not involved.
Alternative dispute resolution is a highly effective instrument in resolving conflict and attaining justice for individuals in relation to resource efficiency and timeliness through utilising mediation, conciliation and arbitration. Mediation is an exceptionally efficacious informal process of dispute resolution, usually confidential and conducted with the assistance of an
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is an increasingly popular option that allows people to resolve disputes outside of court in a cooperative manner. ADR can be faster, cheaper and less stressful than going to court. [Most importantly, the use of ADR can provide greater satisfaction with the way disputes are resolved. ADR has been gradually evolving within the Fresno Superior Court for the past several years. In 1999 the Court recognized a need for greater public access to dispute resolution for cases and established an ADR Department. This
One party may be more manipulative or stronger than the other party. ADR’s may not be appropriate if there is animosity between the parties. It is also difficult if one party to the dispute may refuse to attend the resolution process if it is
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is the term used to describe the resolution of disputes inside or outside the legal system, without formal adjudication. It includes arbitration, mediation, conciliation and negotiation. There are problems associated with going to court. These include the adversarial process used to find a winner and loser, which often creates stress for, and increases the division between litigants. The advantages associated with the use of ADR have prompted a debate whether Parliament should make it compulsory for all litigants to first use ADR before they go to court to seek solutions to their differences.
Alternative dispute resolution is a large, diverse, and highly innovative field. However, in Australia it remains largely under utilised and often idiosyncratic. Alternative dispute resolution is commonly understood as any method of resolving disputes outside of traditional adjudication. Some well known methods of alternative dispute resolution include mediation, arbitration, and negotiation. Online dispute resolution is a newer, less well known method of alternate dispute resolution. Over the last decade in Australia, online dispute resolution has grown in popularity.
ADR “is an umbrella term for processes, other than judicial determination, in which an impartial person assists those in a dispute to resolve issues between them,” and includes processes such as mediation, negotiation, evaluation, case appraisal and arbitration. Provided that such processes are appropriate for the case, ADR processes can provide a range of benefits to potential litigants, including greater affordability than litigation if an outcome is mutually agreed and adhered to. The use of ADR is further encouraged in the Civil Dispute Resolution Act 2011 (Vic). This object of this act is “to ensure that, as far as possible, people take genuine steps to resolve disputes before certain civil proceedings are instituted”. Examples of “genuine steps” taken by the persons involved in the dispute are outlined in s 4 (1)(d) and includes: “Considering whether the dispute could be resolved by a process facilitated by another person, including an alternative dispute resolution process”. As such, it is not recommended that litigation be completely ignored as a method of resolving disputes but
Naturally, the way people interact with one another is greatly depicted by their overall understanding and teachings from their communities. Additionally, these teachings are essential to understanding the ideologies, beliefs, and lifestyles of people and their choices. The use of Alternative Dispute Resolution and its four forms are foundational tool which help individuals understand one another and resolve their differences. More importantly, the use of ADR exposes and supports the belief that the cultures and societies people live in help determine the ways in which they seek resolution and create a sense of peace in their communities. In the interview entitled, In Theory: An Interview with Mary Parker Follet, Follet explains why conflict
Nevertheless, certain categories of ADR have been named and understood to involve the use of particular means and methods to produce the desired end result. These procedures include: negotiation, mediation, arbitration, med-arb, early neutral evaluation, settlement conference and conciliation to name a few. However this essay will concentrate on mediation as a form of alternative dispute resolution.
With increased regularity, businesses have chosen alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures of mediation and arbitration instead of the traditional litigation system for resolving legal disputes. Businesses have brought in qualified mediators in the dispute resolution process, to help them come up with preferable resolutions instead of spending excessive resources on pre-trial court litigation processes. In case businesses anticipate disputes that might not be resolved through mediation, they agree at the time of contract signing, to present future disputes to private arbitration.
ADR which stands for alternative dispute resolution can be very effective and cheaper means of resolving disputes over litigation. Apparently not all situations will be advisable to apply ADR. A situation that I will employ ADR over litigation is a business circumstances that a supplier failed to meet up with his contract obligation. This supplier did not only delivery the products late, but also sent the wrong products. As a result, my company lost hundreds of thousands in cash benefit. Using ADR over litigation to settle this dispute will certainly pay off as both parties might come out victorious and continue with their business
Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR refers to a number of various processes that can be used to resolve legal disputes other than by litigation. Recently, methods of dispute resolution which focus on arbitration, mediation and negotiation as an alternative to adjudication have gained notoriety. This notoriety may have been caused by the public perception that ADR methods are less expensive, more efficient, and more satisfactory than the normal traditional course of litigation. The goals of establishing these processes to resolve disputes as an alternative to more formal legal processes include: 1) to make the regular court system more efficient, less costly and more responsive to the needs of the litigants;
"Effective conflict resolution requires dealing constructively with disagreements rather than pushing them under the rug, letting them break into open warfare, or attempting to eliminate them completely. Successful resolution of a conflict may include the following: accurate diagnosis of the nature and source of the conflict, a clear understanding of how each party is contributing to the conflict, skills and processes for defining alternatives, constructively negotiating outcomes, and creatively developing win-win resolutions" (Hagberg Consulting Group, 1).
ADR is useful in resolving virtually all genres of disputes by providing speedier, enforceable decisions through Arbitration, Mediation, Early Neutral Evaluation and other hybrid mechanisms. The presence of cost-effective and predictable ADR mechanisms capable of resolving complex disputes help to bolster the confidence of litigants within the country and therefore stimulates trade and investment both internationally and locally.