Legalese Translator What Does ADR Mean
Lawyers love acronyms. When they talk among themselves they can say things like, "When it comes to ADR, do you prefer AAA or JAMS?"
I know -- clear as mud.
Let's break this down one acronym at a time.
ADR stands for alternate dispute resolution. You might be wondering an alternative to what. It's an alternative to traditional lawsuits. Specifically, any system for resolving disputes that is different than a civil, non-criminal, lawsuit. That's what ADR refers to--it specifically includes arbitration, mediation and its variations.
AAA and JAMS are two organizations that provide alternate dispute resolution services. The AAA is the American Arbitration Association and JAMS is one of its competitors. JAMS was originally an acronym for Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc., but now is officially known as JAMS.
These alternate dispute systems are supposed to be faster than traditional lawsuits. You see lots of agreements between businesses that provide that disputes will be resolved by some form of ADR.
There is a fair amount of controversy about whether these systems are in fact a better alternative. I know lawyers who strongly believe that they are not, and in fact are more time consuming and expensive than traditional lawsuits. I will explore this topic in future posts, but at least you now know that ADR means alternate dispute resolution.
