Discusses the greater range of dispute resolution mechanisms that have developed in recent years and the need to match disputes with processes. It takes a holistic approach by looking at litigation, arbitration, mediation and other developing forms of resolution procedures and how they may develop in the future.

Where we are now -- What consumers want -- Lessons learned on ebay -- The business case for resolutions -- Bringing consumer advocacy online -- Ethical considerations -- Envisioning a global redress system -- The design: newhandshake.org -- How it could succeed and how it could fail -- Case studies -- What's next -- Conclusion

This book offers an analysis of the current trends and developments in Nordic civil litigation and is divided into four main parts. In the first part a picture of the current civil litigation landscape is provided by focusing on whether there is a truly Nordic form of civil litigation, the current state of Nordic civil litigation, the recent major reforms of civil procedure legislation and the effects of Europeanization. In the second part, the way rules on court-connected mediation have been implemented and practiced in the Nordic countries is discussed. The authors offer their insights on why court-connected mediation has not been fully embraced by Nordic lawyers and the Nordic approach to this type of mediation is contrasted with the Austrian and German approaches. In the third part, recent developments affecting access to justice in the Nordic countries are discussed. Among the topics are changes in legal aid schemes, the impact of recent civil procedure law reforms, hindrances for larger companies to use litigation as a method of dispute resolution and differences in costs and delays. Additionally, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Class or Group Actions are explored as methods to enhance access to justice. The potential adverse effects of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Group Actions are also examined, both in a Nordic and European context. In the final part, conclusions are drawn from both historical and future-oriented perspectives.

Provides a comprehensive global survey on multi-tier dispute resolution, examining its trends, its strengths and weaknesses, and the way forward.

Individuals, groups, and organizations have solely relied on the court system to resolve disputes for quite a long time. On the contrary, many people today are able solve their disagreements successfully without involving the courts. Mechanisms through which disputes are resolved outside the court system are known as Alternative Dispute Resolutions. In order to make Alternative Dispute Resolutions less expensive and more efficient, modern technologies can be integrated into the dispute resolution process. This book specifically focuses on Online Arbitration procedures as one of the methods of Alternative Dispute Resolutions. Whenever they encounter disagreements in transactions, business to business (B2B) organizations prefer Online Arbitration, also known as Electronic Arbitration (hereto referred to as Online Arbitration) to other mechanisms of resolving disputes to come into agreements. This is because Online Arbitration allows those involved in the dispute to choose a professional they both trust to help solve their disagreement, while at the same time ensuring that all the necessary procedures are followed to the latter. Moreover, disputes that arise from business to business transactions are often resolved faster, and parties easily get access to relevant documents from their locations and at any time whenever Online Arbitration is used to resolve disputes. Currently, no legal framework exists to help guide Online Arbitration procedures. For this reason, rules that have traditionally governed commercial arbitration are applied in arbitrations that are conducted online. Although the existing rules for conventional commercial adjudication outlines rules that also take care of the online version, online arbitration requires rules that are specifically designed for it due to its unique features. A legal framework for online arbitration must specify how technology will be used in the dispute resolution process, how performance of notifications will be carried out, and how acknowledgement of receipt will be granted. Furthermore, it should state the obligation of the parties to maintain high ethical standards during the dispute resolution process and allow parties to freely select the most appropriate extra-judicial mechanisms for faster and easier enforcement of the proposed ruling.