Rather than trying to resolve a conflict once it erupts—whether by traditional or alternative methods—the interests of all stakeholders are better served by trying to avoid the dispute in the first place.
Over the past 40 years, the legal profession has made significant strides in the field of dispute resolution. Major innovations in the courts and expanded use of a host of innovative alternative dispute resolution processes have made the field of dispute resolution more effective and efficient than ever before. Despite this, large sums of money, energy and resources are regularly spent addressing a constant stream of disputes, much of it ending up in litigation. This high cost of dealing with these disputes is paralleled by a tremendous loss of productivity, fractured relationships and human angst until resolution is reached.
