Seeking to reduce jury trials during the pandemic, Maricopa County Superior Court is steering litigants toward mediation and arbitration. AZ Business recently turned to Gary Smith to explain the differences between the two alternatives.
Mediation, which is ideal for cases likely to settle, allows the parties to write their own outcome and succeeds when both sides know what they need, are ready to be done and are willing to compromise. Arbitration, which is encouraged for smaller-dollar, simpler issues and lower-risk matters, still provides a “day in court,” but substitutes a judge with a privately hired arbitrator.
Gary not only has a Certificate in Advanced Mediation from Pepperdine University School of Law’s Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, but is also on the American Arbitration Association’s roster of neutrals for both mediation and arbitration. He is highly skilled in Alternative Dispute Resolution, having worked on disputes over partnership, construction defect, design defect, real estate purchase, employment contract breach, business purchases, consumer fraud, banking and purchase contracts.