Judges Optional?

The pandemic has given us many, many things. A new vocabulary (“I got boosted!”), weight gain and increased drinking at home are just three of COVID’s gifts. But, for the legal community, there is been a gift that is actually benefiting a lot of people: Online Dispute Resolution (ODR).

ODR has been around, in one version or another, for many years. But the pandemic brought it to the forefront. Not only are professional neutrals, like myself, actively engaged in ODR, but so, too, are courts. Courts such as Franklin County Municipal Court have adopted an ODR platform to allow for speedy, party-driven resolution without judicial intervention.

ODR can also be facilitated privately. If the parties agree to submit to mediation or arbitration (or another ADR vehicle), they can skip the courthouse altogether. By using ODR, parties can stay at home — avoiding the omicron variant — while still seeking justice.

Anymore, there’s no need to involve the court system so long as the parties are willing to take control of their cases.

To read more on ODR, click here.