The trial work is divided among the Presiding Judge and sixteen other Judges assigned to the division. These programs are established under the authority of the Supreme Court and are subject to the New Jersey Court Rules. The following programs are in place in the Civil Division. Arbitrators must be neutral attorneys with at least seven years of experience in personal injury law or retired Superior Court Judges. Arbitrators act as judge and jury and hear arguments, review evidence and render a decision.
Arbitration is less formal, less complex and often concluded more quickly than court proceedings.
The Rules of Evidence do not apply at arbitration hearings. The resulting flexibility saves both time and witness fees. The average length of a hearing is thirty to sixty minutes, which is considerably shorter than a trial. All of the cases which fall into any of the following programs are arbitrated unless a formal motion has been granted removing the case from arbitration. If no trial de novo is requested, the case will be dismissed fifty days after the filing of the arbitration award unless either party moves for confirmation of the award , entry of judgment, or a consent order.