Aptly described by Lord Justice Donaldson, as the private sector of the legal industry, arbitration is one mechanism for resolving disputes between contracting parties. It existed more than two thousand years ago. St. Paul in his first letter to the Christians who lived in Corinth, a capital city of a Roman province, advocated its use to settle disputes between themselves. In the Middle Ages it was a common practice for merchants in dispute to agree that an independent, experienced, and trusted merchant should hear and determine it.

Disputes and conflicts are inevitable, and arbitration has long been favoured and welcomed by shipping and some trading association, whereas some industries, more especially the Construction Industry viewed it with some suspicion. However here in the Channel Islands, as in other parts of the world disputants are attracted by the advantages it offers.

It has been proved to be especially effective in the fields of shipping, insurance, partnership disputes, imports and exports, general trading, rent review clauses in commercial leases, general trading and commodities.

In addition to the above areas, there are a number of consumer scheme arbitrations, for example, the travel and holiday industry, in telecommunications and disputes between professionals and their clients. Almost any dispute can be settled by arbitration, except, when for example, injunctions are required in matrimonial matters like divorce settlements.  View the advantages claimed to using Arbitration