The parties present written and oral evidence, as in court. However, the proceedings are informal and are often held in a conference room rather than in court. The disputants are not involved in fashioning their own resolution as in mediation, but, instead, have a resolution imposed on them by the arbitrators. The arbitrators usually decide a case by issuing a written decision or award following the arbitration hearings. Arbitration costs include the fees of the arbitrators, administrative fees and attorneys' fees.
Parties pay their own attorney's fees, but usually split the administrative and arbitrators' fees.
ADR has been used successfully to resolve a wide variety of disputes. Tort Cases Automobile accidents. Settling the dispute quickly saves money. Some ADR programs run by community organizations or the courts use volunteers as the neutral. This permits the dispute to be settled for a low charge or even no charge at all.