Court-ordered, non-binding arbitration is a more economical and efficient procedure to resolve certain civil cases. These cases by definition are lower in value, and a significant number of these cases involve one or both parties appearing without an attorney. A study of the program conducted by the Institute of Government found that "...the arbitration program disposed of eligible civil cases faster than standard procedures. It reduced trials and out-of court settlements, replacing them with promptly scheduled adversarial hearings before specially-trained arbitrators. The program improved litigants' satisfaction with the outcome and procedure used in their cases."
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