Courts are Closed, but ADR is Open

The pandemic has hit just about everyone hard. There’s no debating that. But one area many people do not frequently consider when they think about the devastation caused by the Coronavirus is its effect on the court system. Or, more to the point, the effect on parties involved in a dispute.

For instance, the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas has announced it will not be conducting jury trials until “at least March 1.” At that point, it will be nearly a year since the Court has operated at its normal pace. The United States District Court has announced there will be no in-person jury trials until at least April 5, 2021. In both cases it is entirely reasonable to think that the courts will hear the older cases first, meaning that if you have a new case (or worse, have been holding onto a claim so as to file it after the pandemic is over), you’re going to be waiting for a long time before the proverbial “day in court” arrives. .… like 2022 or even 2023.

Do you know where the back up is minimal? ADR.

With the flexibility that comes with ADR, an arbitration, mediation, ENE, or the like are ideal ways to get a resolution to a dispute without having to traipse to the Courthouse or having to wait for a huge backlog of cases to be cleared ahead of you. Maybe a mock trial? Or a mini trial? All the parties have to do is agree to submit to ADR and you’re off to the races.

ADR is made for times like this. Contact Ohio ADR to learn more and get your dispute resolved!