During my first meeting with new clients, I always advise them of two things: my hourly rate and the high probability that this process will take a while. The latter is the sad reality for almost every client who will see the inside of a courtroom. And this backlog affects not only clients, but young lawyers looking to gain valuable litigation experience.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) includes procedures like negotiation, mediation, or arbitration that serve the purpose of resolving disputes in ways other than going to court. ADR is not new, but it is also not used to its full potential. As a young lawyer, I shied away from the idea of using ADR. I held the mistaken belief that time in court was the sole way to develop the necessary skills to be a litigator. My misperception changed quickly when I shadowed several ADR files.
ADR is not only beneficial for the client and the backlogged courts. ADR also provides young lawyers with many additional benefits, four of which are described below:
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