What are the different types of dispute resolution mechanisms?
For many law students, the majority of the modules taught as part of their course would tend to be about substantive legal topics, such as contract law or criminal law. However, if you are looking to practice law, it is important to develop an understanding of procedural legal issues too. An example of such a procedural issue is understanding the various dispute resolution mechanisms available to clients. Where there is a disagreement in a commercial context e.g. a contract for the sale and purchase of commodities, the parties will normally try to resolve their differences through informal negotiations in the first instance. If they are not able to do so, then they may need to move towards a formal dispute resolution mechanism. The main formal dispute resolution mechanisms are litigation, arbitration and mediation. Other mechanisms do exist too, such as expert determination. Most members of the public would have some awareness of litigation. After all, many Court cases are reported in
