Arbitration

How it is used

Very common in international commercial contracts. Parties 'refer' a dispute 'to arbitration' under an 'arbitration clause' or 'arbitration agreement'. The decision is an 'award', not a judgment. Arbitration can be run by an institution or 'ad hoc', and awards can be enforced abroad under the New York Convention.

Example sentences

1. Any dispute under this agreement shall be referred to arbitration in Geneva.

2. The hearings were held in private, which is one reason the company chose arbitration.

Common collocations

• refer to arbitration
• arbitration clause
• international arbitration
• arbitration proceedings
• go to arbitration

Related terms

• mediationA process in which a neutral person, the mediator, helps the parties to a dispute talk and reach their own agreement; the mediator does not decide the case.
• ADRShort for alternative dispute resolution: ways of solving legal disputes outside the courts, such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration.
• disputeA serious disagreement between people or organisations about their rights, money or obligations, which may end up in court or arbitration if it is not resolved.
• tribunalA body set up to hear and decide particular kinds of disputes, such as employment or tax cases, often less formal than an ordinary court; also an arbitration panel.
• awardTo decide officially that a person should receive something, especially an amount of money as damages or costs; also the noun for such a decision.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• arbitration · Contract & Commercial Law

More terms: Lawsuits & Procedure

• case
• lawsuit
• sue
• plaintiff
• defendant
• party
• trial
• hearing
• claim
• file
• settlement
• proceedings