Individuals involved in a legal dispute are free to participating in mediation or arbitration with or without a lawyer. Whether or not representation is appropriate is based on a few factors. Sometimes, it’s a matter of what the parties involved agree to do. Mediating without legal representation can make the process less expensive and easier to arrange because there are fewer people involved. It’s less common for parties involved in arbitration to not be represented by lawyers. In either case, you’d consider working with a lawyer to ensure your best interests are addressed during in the ADR process.