The arbitrator s decision is usually binding and cannot be appealed. The arbitrator may be a retired judge, a lawyer skilled in hearing and deciding disputes, or another professional licensed in the industry or discipline out of which the dispute arises. The actual hearing process is more informal than court trials. Perhaps you believe your neighbor s fence is on your property. The only thing a court can do is to decide where the boundary line is and then determine whether part or all of the fence shall be removed or not.
Some people think that surveys are very precise with no room for error.
As most registered land surveyors will admit, this is not always true particularly in light of the fact that in the middle 1800s, when most of Washington Territory was surveyed, survey crews did not have the precise tools they do today, and the crews then were under the direction of an officer from the Army Corps of Engineers out of Fort Vancouver Barracks who was not exactly a teetotaler. So the legal issues surrounding boundary disputes frequently have merits on both sides. Suppose you have been rear-ended by another car on your way to work. Your car is damaged and you re in pain. If the other driver has no insurance, it is very likely that your personal injury claim, if not settled, will be decided by a neutral arbitrator agreed upon by you and your insurance company.