Alternative Dispute Resolution

Practicing Attorneys:
   Stephen M. Denenfeld
   William A. Redmond


Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) can involve a large variety of alternatives to seeking the resolution of a dispute through litigation. Sometimes ADR can be used to avoid litigation even before a lawsuit is filed, and sometimes ADR can be used to head off a pending lawsuit and bring about a negotiated resolution short of a full blown trial. ADR techniques and options can include case evaluation, facilitative mediation, summary jury trials, early neutral case evaluation, arbitration, etc. Various forms of facilitative mediation are frequently utilized both in general civil litigation settings, as well as domestic civil litigation matters. ADR can offer a means of resolving disputes short of an expensive, time consuming and emotionally draining trial and can offer the participants an opportunity to avoid the unpredictability of litigation and the possibility of obtaining closure with certainty as to the outcome of the dispute.