The length of time that a family arbitration takes is normally decided by both the parties and the arbitrator. The parties can decide whether the arbitration should be a purely written process based on written submissions with the arbitrator making a decision on paper. Alternatively, the arbitration is more in line with a court process, although private and outside of the public domain. Arbitrators are adept at streamlining directions so that cases can be heard more quickly and more cheaply than if the case were being heard in court.