Alternative Dispute Resolution
- In recent years, courts, attorneys and litigants have turned to alternate dispute resolution (ADR) to help resolve disputes more quickly and cost effectively than traditional litigation. Through arbitration and mediation parties are often able to resolve a dispute either without the necessity of litigation or without the necessity of going to trial.
Alternative Dispute Resolution, or ADR, is a process whereby parties in litigation can save substantial time and money by opting for a forum to resolve an outstanding matter without having to go to court. “Arbitration” is a term for a process in which the parties in litigation submit their matter to a third party (an arbitrator) who makes a binding decision after a hearing, with evidence and testimony presented by the parties, through their representatives. “Mediation” is a process in which parties in litigation submit their matter to a process in which a third party (a mediator) works to bring the parties to a resolution but does not him/herself does render a binding decision, rather convincing the parties and their representatives to resolve their differences.
Many disputes can be subject to ADR, whether through an insurance policy, or by a specific contractual provision, or upon agreement of the parties themselves to pursue the ADR process. The attorneys in the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice group Hill Wallack recognize that arbitration or mediation is an efficient way to resolve many disputes. By avoiding numerous pretrial proceedings, ADR is a cost-effective process for litigants. ADR also offers more confidentiality during sensitive disputes by avoiding the public scrutiny often inherent in cases litigated in the court system.
Hill Wallack attorneys have years of experience in conducting arbitrations and mediations. In New Jersey, Vincent Falcetano is a recently retired Superior Court judge with a distinguished career in civil and criminal matters, both as a jurist and, previously, as a respected litigator. Judge Falcetano is able and available to oversee matters in a variety of areas: disputes involving insurance, employment, business and corporate, as well as and medical malpractice matters. New Jersey partner Gerard Hanson is a well-respected attorney with decades of experience litigating insurance disputes, both third party and first party (coverage) matters. New Jersey Counsel Victoria Airgood is experienced in a variety of areas, including complex commercial disputes, business torts, engineering and construction defect claims, and insurance coverage. She is admitted to the New Jersey Superior Court Roster of Mediators for Civil, General Equity and Probate Cases. She is a trained mediator and conflict transformation facilitator.
In Pennsylvania attorneys David J. Truelove and Francis J. Sullivan have been frequently selected by their peers for arbitration and mediation services. Truelove has been appointed in hundreds of cases involving uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, third-party injury claims, employment disputes, insurance coverage, business disputes and construction matters. Sullivan has decades of experience as a respected business and commercial adviser and litigator and is frequnetly appointed to arbitrate or mediate business divorces and disputes, real estate matters, corporate governance and estate matters.
Hill Wallack ADR practice group attorneys have earned the respect of their peers for their hard work, temperament, judgment and wide range of legal experience. These qualities are crucial to those embroiled in legal disputes, who require the knowledge, attention and professionalism of the Hill Wallack ADR attorneys to facilitate fair resolutions to litigants, efficiently and, ultimately, economically.
