You can avoid the courtroom!

There are alternatives to duking out a customer disagreement in a courtroom. And that’s great news because we’ve never met a businessperson who relishes the thought of a legal battle before a judge.

Collecting money that’s owed can become a true battleground if you and your customer simply don’t see eye-to-eye no matter what you try. Talks can become heated leading to exchanges that permanently damage your business relationship. The longer the conflict continues, the more complicated things can become. And when things deteriorate to the point of litigation, the loss of money and time can become enormous.

In some circumstances, arbitration may be a good way to avoid the courtroom or a long, drawn out drama.

Arbitration requires that both parties present their case to the arbitrators. The arbitrators then weigh the information and so they can hand down a decision in much the same way as a judge in a courtroom (just without the long wait time and enormous legal fee). It is most effective when both parties agree beforehand that the arbitrator’s decision will be binding.

Both arbitration and mediation are gaining momentum in part because of the significant savings to both the potential litigants as well as to the court system over all. While similar to mediation, arbitration stops short of further discussion between the parties involved, however both methods have proven effective to such a degree that in the state of Florida, many cases are required to go through mediation before being added to the court docket.

Staying OUT of the courts saves time and money. If arbitration could be effective, it may be worth a try for the savings alone.