Mediation and arbitration both resolve a Minnesota business dispute outside a courtroom trial, but they do opposite jobs. A mediator helps you and the other side reach your own settlement and decides nothing. An arbitrator hears the evidence and issues an award that a court can turn into a judgment, and the statute lists the narrow grounds on which a court can set that award aside.

Minnesota sets these rules in statutes and court rules. Arbitration agreements are governed by the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act, Minnesota Statutes chapter 572B, and the Federal Arbitration Act also applies to contracts involving interstate commerce. Mediation is governed by the Minnesota Civil Mediation Act and, once a lawsuit is filed, by Rule 114 of the General Rules of Practice. This page is written for owners in a dispute with another business, a vendor, a customer, or a co-owner; employment and consumer arbitration carry additional rules. Both processes sit alongside the court options covered on my business litigation page.

What Is the Difference Between Mediation and Arbitration in Minnesota?

A mediator helps the parties negotiate and has no power to decide the dispute, while an arbitrator decides it. Minnesota defines a mediator as “a third party with no formal coercive power whose function is to promote and facilitate a voluntary settlement of a controversy identified in an agreement to mediate” (Minn. Stat. § 572.33, subd. 2). An arbitrator issues an award. Once a court confirms it, the court enters a judgment that “may be recorded, docketed, and enforced as any other judgment in a civil action” (Minn. Stat. § 572B.25(a)).

That difference shows up in three places:

  1. Who decides the outcome. In mediation, you and the other side decide whether to settle and on what terms. In arbitration, the arbitrator decides, whether or not you agree with the result.
  2. What happens if there is no agreement. A mediation that ends without a signed settlement decides nothing. A binding arbitration ends with an award, subject to the limited court review covered in the section on how final an award is.
  3. What the process replaces. Binding arbitration replaces the court as decision-maker for the claims it covers. Mediation is a negotiation step that can come before a lawsuit or during one.

How Does Mediation Work in a Minnesota Business Dispute?

Mediation is a structured negotiation run by a neutral third party, and it ends with a signed settlement or with no deal. Minnesota’s court rule defines it as “A process in which a Neutral facilitates communication and negotiation to promote voluntary decision making by the parties to the dispute” (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 114.02(c)(1)). The mediator may meet with each side privately. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 114.10(b) allows those one-sided conversations in a court-annexed mediation “with the consent of the Neutral, so long as the communication encourages or facilitates settlement.”

You do not need a lawsuit to mediate. A private mediation comes under the Civil Mediation Act through an “agreement to mediate.” Minn. Stat. § 572.33, subd. 3 defines it as a written agreement that identifies the controversy and states that the parties will seek to resolve it through mediation. It must also provide “for termination of mediation upon written notice from either party or the mediator delivered by certified mail or personally to the other people who signed the agreement,” and it “is signed by the parties and mediator and is dated.” The stages of a mediation session run from the mediator’s orientation through opening statements and negotiation to a written agreement.

A qualifying agreement to mediate also affects the deadline to sue. Minn. Stat. § 572.39 provides: “The running of the limitation of time within which an action may be brought is suspended from the date of the agreement to mediate until 20 days after notice of termination of mediation is delivered by certified mail or personally delivered as provided in the agreement to mediate.” The statute ties the suspension to an “agreement to mediate” as § 572.33, subd. 3 defines it. Check the current text of the statute before relying on this period.

What you say in a court-annexed mediation has protection with limits. Under Rule 114.07(b), statements made and documents produced in a non-binding ADR process that are not otherwise discoverable are not subject to discovery, and “Such evidence is inadmissible for any purpose at a later trial, including for impeachment.” A document that was discoverable before the mediation does not become protected because you brought it to the session; Minn. R. Evid. 408 states the same limit for settlement talks generally. Under Minn. Stat. § 595.02, subd. 1a, a person presiding at a mediation established by law, a court rule, or an agreement to mediate is not competent to testify, “in any subsequent civil proceeding or administrative hearing, as to any statement, conduct, decision, or ruling, occurring at or in conjunction with the prior proceeding,” with narrow exceptions. A mediation under an agreement to mediate has a further protection. Section 595.02, subd. 1(m) provides that “A person cannot be examined as to any communication or document, including work notes, made or used in the course of or because of mediation pursuant to an agreement to mediate”. That protection does not apply to the parties when one of them asks a court to set aside or reform the mediated settlement, and “A communication or document otherwise not privileged does not become privileged because of this paragraph.”

When Does a Mediated Settlement Become Binding in Minnesota?

Contract law decides what a settlement signed at a mediation under the Civil Mediation Act does, and the Act adds a floor. The settlement is not binding unless it states that it is binding and records the advisories the statute lists, or the parties were otherwise advised of them. A debtor-creditor settlement carries one more condition, set out below. The rule reaches a “Mediated settlement agreement,” which the Act defines as a written, signed, and dated agreement settling “a controversy identified in an agreement to mediate” (Minn. Stat. § 572.33, subd. 4). Minn. Stat. § 572.35, subd. 1 provides that “The effect of a mediated settlement agreement shall be determined under principles of law applicable to contract. A mediated settlement agreement is not binding unless” one of two conditions is met:

(1) it contains a provision stating that it is binding and a provision stating substantially that the parties were advised in writing that (a) the mediator has no duty to protect their interests or provide them with information about their legal rights; (b) signing a mediated settlement agreement may adversely affect their legal rights; and (c) they should consult an attorney before signing a mediated settlement agreement if they are uncertain of their rights; or

(2) the parties were otherwise advised of the conditions in clause (1).

In plain terms, a handwritten term sheet signed at the end of a long mediation day may not bind anyone if it leaves those provisions out. I suggest putting both provisions in the signed settlement document itself, because then the document on its face shows that clause (1) is met.

A settlement between a debtor and a creditor has an added condition. Minn. Stat. § 572.35, subd. 2 provides: “In addition to the requirements of subdivision 1, a mediated settlement agreement between a debtor and creditor is not binding until 72 hours after it is signed by the debtor and creditor, during which time either party may withdraw consent to the binding character of the agreement.” Check the current text of section 572.35 before relying on this period.

How Does Arbitration Work Under Minnesota’s Arbitration Act?

Arbitration runs like a private trial: one side starts it with written notice, the arbitrator manages the evidence and holds a hearing, and the arbitrator issues an award. The notice goes to the other parties “in the agreed manner between the parties or, in the absence of agreement, by mail certified or registered, return receipt requested and obtained, or by service as authorized for the initiation of a civil action,” and it “must describe the nature of the controversy and the remedy sought” (Minn. Stat. § 572B.09(a)). After that, “The arbitrator may conduct the arbitration in such manner as the arbitrator considers appropriate so as to aid in the fair and expeditious disposition of the proceeding” (Minn. Stat. § 572B.15(a)).

Three features of the Minnesota act matter to a business owner:

  1. Discovery is the arbitrator’s call. Under Minn. Stat. § 572B.17(c), “An arbitrator may permit such discovery as the arbitrator decides is appropriate in the circumstances,” weighing the parties’ needs and “the desirability of making the proceeding fair, expeditious, and cost-effective.” If your claim depends on records the other side holds, that discretion affects your case.
  2. Confidential business information can be protected. Section 572B.17(e) lets the arbitrator issue a protective order for “privileged information, confidential information, trade secrets,” and other protected information, as a court could in a civil action.
  3. You keep the right to a lawyer. Before a dispute arises, the parties may not “waive the right under section 572B.16 of a party to an agreement to arbitrate to be represented by a lawyer at any proceeding or hearing” (Minn. Stat. § 572B.04(b)(4)). The statute’s one exception covers an employer and a labor organization in a labor arbitration.

These are default rules for the most part. Under § 572B.04(a), the parties “may waive or vary the requirements of sections 572B.01 to 572B.31 to the extent permitted by law,” except for the sections listed in paragraphs (b) and (c). A clause that adopts an arbitration organization’s rules can change the defaults, which is why choosing between AAA, JAMS, and private arbitration affects procedure and cost.

How Final Is an Arbitration Award in Minnesota?

A Minnesota arbitration award is close to final. After a party receives notice of the award, the court “shall issue” an order confirming it unless the award is modified, corrected, or vacated under the act (Minn. Stat. § 572B.22). Under Minn. Stat. § 572B.23(a), the court vacates an award if:

  1. the award was procured by corruption, fraud, or other undue means;
  2. there was evident partiality by an arbitrator appointed as a neutral, corruption by an arbitrator, or misconduct by an arbitrator prejudicing a party’s rights;
  3. an arbitrator refused to postpone the hearing on a showing of sufficient cause, refused to consider material evidence, or otherwise conducted the hearing contrary to § 572B.15, and this substantially prejudiced a party’s rights;
  4. an arbitrator exceeded the arbitrator’s powers;
  5. there was no agreement to arbitrate, unless the person took part in the arbitration without raising the objection by the start of the hearing; or
  6. the arbitration was conducted without proper notice of its initiation, so as to prejudice substantially a party’s rights.

Sections 572B.12 and 572B.09(b) attach conditions to the partiality and notice grounds. When an arbitrator discloses a fact the statute required to be disclosed and “a party timely objects to the appointment or continued service of the arbitrator based upon the disclosure, the objection may be a ground to vacate the award” (Minn. Stat. § 572B.12(c)). For a fact the arbitrator did not disclose as required, “upon timely objection of a party, an award may be vacated” (§ 572B.12(d)). Section 572B.12(e) adds: “An arbitrator appointed as a neutral who does not disclose a known, direct, and material interest in the outcome of the arbitration proceeding or a known, existing, and substantial relationship with a party is presumed to act with evident partiality under section 572B.23, subsection (a)(2).” If the parties agreed to an arbitration organization’s or other procedures for challenging arbitrators, “substantial compliance with those procedures is a condition precedent to a motion to vacate an award on that ground” (§ 572B.12(f)). For notice, § 572B.09(b) provides: “Unless a person interposes an objection as to lack or insufficiency of notice under section 572B.15, subsection (c), not later than the commencement of the arbitration hearing, the person’s appearance at the hearing waives any objection to lack of or insufficiency of notice.”

An arbitrator’s mistake about the law or the facts is not on that list. In a 1957 labor arbitration under a collective bargaining agreement, decided before chapter 572B, the Minnesota Supreme Court stated: “An award will not be set aside merely because the court thinks the arbitrators erred either as to the law or the facts.” Cournoyer v. American Television & Radio Co., 83 N.W.2d 409 (Minn. 1957). The court stated the arbitrator’s authority as final “in the absence of any agreement limiting his authority.” For remedies other than “punitive damages or other exemplary relief” and “attorney fees and other reasonable expenses of arbitration,” Minn. Stat. § 572B.21(c) adds: “The fact that such a remedy could not or would not be granted by the court is not a ground for refusing to confirm an award under section 572B.22 or for vacating an award under section 572B.23.”

The window to challenge an award is short. Minn. Stat. § 572B.23(b) provides: “A motion under this section must be filed within 90 days after the movant receives notice of the award in a record pursuant to section 572B.19 or within 90 days after the movant receives notice of an arbitrator’s award in a record on a motion to modify or correct an award pursuant to section 572B.20, unless the motion is predicated upon the ground that the award was procured by corruption, fraud, or other undue means, in which case it must be filed within 90 days after such a ground is known or by the exercise of reasonable care should have been known by the movant.” When the Federal Arbitration Act governs the challenge, 9 U.S.C. § 12 provides: “Notice of a motion to vacate, modify, or correct an award must be served upon the adverse party or his attorney within three months after the award is filed or delivered.” Check the current text of the statute before relying on these periods.

Once confirmed, the award becomes a judgment you can collect like any court judgment, which is covered in enforcing an arbitration award.

What Do Mediation and Arbitration Cost a Business?

In both processes you pay the neutral, but arbitration can add a hearing, any discovery the arbitrator allows, and the arbitrator’s time to decide. Unless the parties vary it under § 572B.04(a), the arbitration act provides that “The arbitrator shall set a time and place for a hearing” (§ 572B.15(c)), and under § 572B.21(d), “An arbitrator’s expenses and fees, together with other expenses, must be paid as provided in the award.” In a court-annexed mediation, “The Neutral shall be paid according to the terms of the agreement with the parties, their attorney, or as ordered by the court,” and “All fees of Neutral(s) for ADR services shall be fair and reasonable” (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 114.11(a)).

Your attorney fees are the other cost. An arbitrator may award attorney fees and other reasonable expenses of arbitration “if such an award is authorized by law in a civil action involving the same claim or by the agreement of the parties to the arbitration proceeding” (§ 572B.21(b)). Both processes can be measured against what a lawsuit costs, where attorney time across pleadings, discovery, and trial drives the bill. I suggest asking for the mediator’s or the arbitration organization’s fee terms in writing before you agree to a neutral. Rule 114.11(a) pays a court-annexed neutral under the agreement with the parties or their attorney, or as the court orders.

When Does a Contract or a Court Require Mediation or Arbitration?

A written arbitration clause requires arbitration of the disputes it covers, unless “a ground that exists at law or in equity for the revocation of contract” defeats it (Minn. Stat. § 572B.06(a)). Unless an exception in Rule 114 or Minn. Stat. § 484.76 applies, a court in a filed civil case will order a non-binding process such as mediation when the parties cannot agree on one. For the contract, Minn. Stat. § 572B.06(a) makes an agreement in a record to arbitrate an existing or later controversy “valid, enforceable, and irrevocable except upon a ground that exists at law or in equity for the revocation of contract.” For a contract “evidencing a transaction involving commerce,” 9 U.S.C. § 2 makes a written arbitration provision “valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract or as otherwise provided in chapter 4.” Chapter 4, at 9 U.S.C. § 402, lets a person alleging a sexual harassment or sexual assault dispute elect out of a predispute arbitration agreement for a case relating to that dispute.

By default, the court decides “whether an agreement to arbitrate exists or a controversy is subject to an agreement to arbitrate,” except for a grievance under a collective bargaining agreement, and the arbitrator decides “whether a condition precedent to arbitrability has been fulfilled and whether a contract containing a valid agreement to arbitrate is enforceable” (§ 572B.06(b), (c)). Section 572B.04(a) lets the parties vary these defaults as well, “to the extent permitted by law,” and of § 572B.06, the lists in § 572B.04(b) and (c) of provisions the parties may not vary name only “572B.06, subsection (a).” For an agreement covered by chapter 4 of the federal act, 9 U.S.C. § 402(b) provides that “the validity and enforceability of an agreement to which this chapter applies shall be determined by a court, rather than an arbitrator, . . . irrespective of whether the agreement purports to delegate such determinations to an arbitrator.” If one side sues anyway, the other can bring a motion to compel arbitration. Under Minn. Stat. § 572B.07(a), “Unless the court finds that there is no enforceable agreement to arbitrate, it shall order the parties to arbitrate,” and under paragraph (f), the court “shall on just terms stay any judicial proceeding that involves a claim subject to the arbitration.” A party that litigates too long before moving can lose that right. In a federal case under the Federal Arbitration Act, the U.S. Supreme Court stated that “prejudice is not a condition of finding that a party, by litigating too long, waived its right to stay litigation” or compel arbitration under that act (Morgan v. Sundance, Inc., 596 U.S. 411 (2022)). The Court did not address what role state law plays in that question. Whether a particular clause holds up is covered in when a Minnesota arbitration clause is enforceable.

Without any clause, a lawsuit brings ADR with it. Minn. Stat. § 484.76, subd. 1 directs that the court rules “shall require the use of nonbinding alternative dispute resolution processes in all civil cases, except for good cause shown by the presiding judge,” and family-law matters are excepted. Rule 114.01(a) applies to “All civil and family cases” except those it lists, including “In rare circumstances where the court in its discretion finds ADR to be inappropriate or to operate as a sanction.” The step starts early: “The parties, after service of the complaint, petition, or motion, shall promptly confer regarding selection and timing of the ADR process and selection of a Neutral” (Rule 114.04(b)). That conversation belongs on your list for the first days after your business is served. If the parties cannot agree on a neutral, “the court shall make the selection of a Qualified Neutral” (Rule 114.04(b)). Under Rule 114.04(c), any party may file a notice to remove a neutral the court selected without all parties’ consent, and “Such notice must be filed with the court and served on the opposing party within 7 days of notice of the court’s appointment.” The same subdivision limits a second removal: “After a party has once disqualified a Neutral as a matter of right, a substitute Neutral may be disqualified by the party only by making an affirmative showing of prejudice to the chief judge or his or her designee by motion filed within 7 days of notice of the court’s appointment.” Check the current text of Rule 114.04 before relying on these periods.

A court-ordered process does not force a settlement. Rule 114.04(b) provides: “If the parties cannot agree on an ADR process, the court shall order the parties to use a non-binding ADR process,” and § 484.76, subd. 2 requires that the methods “must be nonbinding unless otherwise agreed to in a valid agreement between the parties.” The order does carry an attendance duty. Rule 114.06(d) provides: “Unless the court has ordered otherwise, individuals with the authority to settle the case shall attend all evaluative, facilitative, and hybrid ADR sessions,” and “The court may impose sanctions for violations of this rule” (Rule 114.06(e)). For a business, that means a person who can approve a settlement attends a mediation session unless the court orders otherwise.

How Should You Choose Between Mediation and Arbitration?

Mediation fits when you want to control the outcome or keep a working relationship, and arbitration fits when you need a neutral’s final decision. I suggest weighing these factors, because each one changes which process serves you:

  1. Whether a direct conversation could resolve it. Before either process, a direct conversation between owners or CEOs costs no neutral’s fee. Afterward, the parties can still mediate, and they can arbitrate under “an agreement contained in a record to submit to arbitration” (§ 572B.06(a)) or one they make then. A direct conversation is not an “agreement to mediate,” the written agreement on which the § 572.39 suspension of the time to sue turns.
  2. Whether you need a decision. A mediator has “no formal coercive power” (§ 572.33, subd. 2), so mediation helps only if both sides want a deal. If the other side will not move, arbitration or a lawsuit produces a decision.
  3. Whether you need emergency relief. Before an arbitrator is “appointed and is authorized and able to act,” a court may order provisional remedies “to protect the effectiveness of the arbitration proceeding,” and asking “does not waive any right of arbitration” (Minn. Stat. § 572B.08(a), (c)). Once the arbitrator can act, a party may go to court “only if the matter is urgent and the arbitrator is not able to act in a timely manner or if the arbitrator cannot provide an adequate remedy” (§ 572B.08(b)).
  4. Whether you want a right of appeal. A binding arbitration award offers little room for review. In a filed case, Rule 114.02(a)(2) offers the consensual special magistrate process: “This process is binding and parties have the right of appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.”
  5. Whether a middle path fits. Under Rule 114.02(a)(1), an arbitration award “may be binding or non-binding, pursuant to the agreement of the parties.” The rule also recognizes Mediation-Arbitration, “A process in which a Neutral first mediates the parties’ dispute and then, in the event of an impasse, serves as arbitrator of the dispute” (Rule 114.02(d)(2)). A non-binding award in a filed case becomes final quickly. Rule 114.09(f)(1) provides: “Within 21 days after the arbitrator files the decision with the court, any party may request a trial by filing a request for trial with the court, along with proof of service upon all other parties. This 21-day period shall not be extended.” Under Rule 114.09(e)(2), “If no party has filed a request for a trial within 21 days after the award is filed, the court administrator shall enter the decision as a judgment,” and that judgment “is not subject to appeal, and may not be collaterally attacked or set aside.” Rule 114.09(e)(4) adds one route: “Within 90 days after its entry, a party against whom a judgment is entered pursuant to an arbitration award may move to vacate the judgment on only those grounds set forth in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 572B.” Check the current text of the rule before relying on these periods.

The two processes can work in sequence. Mediation first, with arbitration only if mediation fails, gives you a chance at a negotiated deal before you pay for a hearing.

What Should a Minnesota Dispute Resolution Clause Say?

A dispute resolution clause should name each step, who serves as the neutral, who pays, and what the arbitrator may and may not do, because the statute fills any gap with its own defaults. I suggest covering these provisions:

  1. A sequence of steps. A clause can require a meeting between executives, then mediation, then arbitration or a lawsuit. I suggest requiring that any mediated settlement state that it is binding and recite the § 572.35 advisories, because without them the settlement may not bind.
  2. How the arbitrator is chosen. Under Minn. Stat. § 572B.11(a), “If the parties to an agreement to arbitrate agree on a method for appointing an arbitrator, that method must be followed, unless the method fails.”
  3. Attorney fees. Under § 572B.21(b), an arbitrator may award attorney fees and other reasonable expenses when authorized by law in a civil action involving the same claim or by “the agreement of the parties.” The clause should therefore say whether the prevailing party recovers fees, because the agreement is one of the two sources.
  4. Discovery. Because § 572B.17(c) otherwise leaves discovery to what “the arbitrator decides is appropriate,” the clause should set the scope if records are central to your likely disputes.
  5. Court relief for emergencies. Before a dispute arises, the parties may not “waive or vary the requirements of” § 572B.08 (§ 572B.04(b)(1)). That section lets a court, “for good cause shown,” enter “an order for provisional remedies to protect the effectiveness of the arbitration proceeding” before the arbitrator can act, and afterward “only if the matter is urgent and the arbitrator is not able to act in a timely manner or if the arbitrator cannot provide an adequate remedy.”

Some terms cannot be contracted away. Minn. Stat. § 572B.04(c) lists sections the parties “may not waive or vary,” including the confirmation and vacatur sections, 572B.22 and 572B.23.

Can I sue in court if my contract requires arbitration?

Yes, but the other side may move to compel arbitration. Minn. Stat. § 572B.07 then requires the court to order it unless it finds no enforceable agreement, and to stay arbitrable claims, even if your claim lacks merit. A party that litigates too long can lose that right. Seeking a court provisional remedy before an arbitrator can act does not waive arbitration. After that, Minn. Stat. § 572B.08(b) allows a court motion “only if the matter is urgent and the arbitrator is not able to act in a timely manner or if the arbitrator cannot provide an adequate remedy.”

Can a mediator testify about what I said in mediation?

No, for a mediation held under law, a court rule, or an agreement to mediate, except in narrow situations. Minn. Stat. § 595.02, subd. 1a bars the mediator from testifying in a later civil proceeding or administrative hearing about any statement, conduct, decision, or ruling there. Exceptions are statements or conduct that could constitute a crime, give rise to attorney disqualification proceedings, or constitute professional misconduct. Subd. 1(m) also bars examining anyone about mediation communications under an agreement to mediate, except parties challenging the settlement. Minn. R. Evid. 408 bars settlement statements as proof of liability, not otherwise discoverable evidence.

Can I appeal an arbitrator's decision I think is legally wrong?

No, not on the ground that the arbitrator got the law or the facts wrong. A Minnesota court vacates an award on the grounds Minn. Stat. § 572B.23(a) lists, such as fraud, evident partiality, prejudicial misconduct, or an arbitrator exceeding the arbitrator’s powers. Under Minn. Stat. § 572B.12(c) and (d), the partiality ground depends on a party’s timely objection. In a 1957 labor arbitration case, the Minnesota Supreme Court said that an award will not be set aside merely because the court thinks the arbitrators erred either as to the law or the facts.

Can an arbitrator make the losing side pay my attorney fees?

Yes, when the law or your agreement allows it. Under Minn. Stat. § 572B.21(b), an arbitrator may award attorney fees and other reasonable expenses of arbitration. The condition is that a fee award is authorized by law in a civil action involving the same claim or by the parties’ agreement. If you want fee-shifting, I suggest writing it into the arbitration clause, because the agreement is one of the two sources the statute names. Separately, Minn. Stat. § 572B.25(c) lets a court add attorney fees and other reasonable litigation expenses incurred after the award for the prevailing party in a contested court proceeding over the award.

What happens if mediation ends without a deal?

The mediation decides nothing, because a mediator has “no formal coercive power” (Minn. Stat. § 572.33, subd. 2). A filed lawsuit continues; otherwise, options include suing, negotiating further, or an agreed arbitration step. Minn. Stat. § 572.39 provides: “The running of the limitation of time within which an action may be brought is suspended from the date of the agreement to mediate until 20 days after notice of termination of mediation is delivered by certified mail or personally delivered as provided in the agreement to mediate.” Check the current text of the statute before relying on this period.

Mediation and Arbitration for Minnesota Businesses

The choice turns on whether you want help negotiating your own deal or a binding decision from a neutral. Mediation leaves the outcome with you. A signed settlement of “a controversy identified in an agreement to mediate” (§ 572.33, subd. 4) is not binding unless it meets § 572.35. Arbitration gives you a decision a court will confirm unless the award is modified, corrected, or vacated on a ground the act lists, such as those in § 572B.23. I suggest reading the dispute clause in your contract before the dispute escalates, because it may already have made the choice for you. For court options alongside these processes, see my business litigation attorney page.

If you are in a business dispute and want to know whether mediation or arbitration fits your situation, email [email protected] with a brief description. I can start an intake and conflict check before you send any confidential documents.