Arbitration

The lawyers of Grazi and Gianino have substantial experience providing expert and comprehensive arbitration services. Our Stuart, FL attorneys bring years of representation and trial experience to businesses and individuals involved in simple and complex business, family, and real estate law litigation and we routinely advise clients and arbitrate disputing parties with respect to related matters. If you are in need of arbitration services in Stuart, FL or Martin County, Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie or St. Lucie County, Vero Beach or Indian River County, Okeechobee or Okeechobee County, West Palm Beach or Palm Beach County, or surrounding areas, please call the Stuart, Florida lawyers of Grazi & Gianino now at (772) 286-0200.

Arbitration, as a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts. In the case of arbitration, the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons (the “arbitrators”, “arbiters” or “arbitral tribunal”), and agree to be bound by the arbitrator’s decision. The arbitrator is a third party who reviews the evidence in the case and imposes a decision that is legally binding and enforceable for both sides. Arbitration is quite often used for the resolution of commercial disputes, and in consumer and employment matters.

Arbitration can be either voluntary or mandatory (although mandatory arbitration can only come from a statute or from a contract that is voluntarily entered into, where the parties agree to hold all existing or future disputes to arbitration, without necessarily knowing, specifically, what disputes will ever occur) and can be either binding or non-binding. Non-binding arbitration is similar to mediation in that a decision cannot be imposed on the parties. However, the principal distinction is that whereas a mediator will try to help the parties find a middle ground on which to compromise, the (non-binding) arbitrator remains totally removed from the settlement process and will only give a determination of liability and, if appropriate, an indication of damages payable.