Mediation and arbitration (Disputes)
Introduction
Alternative Dispute Resolution (in English Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR) is a general term that encompasses the different methods of resolving a conflict before resorting to judicial means. ADR mechanisms include mediation "Mediation (law)"), conciliation "Conciliation (law)") and arbitration "Arbitration (law)").
Definition
There are various ways to resolve conflicts between people. These can be resolved with the intervention of the State through Justice, or with the intervention of a third party in an extrajudicial way such as alternative conflict resolution. This term refers to a series of mechanisms through which two or more people manage the resolution of their differences themselves with the help of a qualified and neutral third party between the parties.[1].
They emerge as mechanisms that attempt to resolve disputes outside of the courts. For this reason, they are contributing tools to the administration of Justice that must be conceived as an alternative to the traditional judicial system, not as substitutes for it, as they are not applicable in all areas of law.[2] Their objective is to reach an agreement quickly and efficiently, reducing costs in terms of time and money for the parties in conflict.
In Spanish, there are several names by which alternative conflict resolution methods are known: RAC (Alternative Conflict Resolution), MRAC (Conflict Resolution Mechanisms), MARC (Alternative Conflict Resolution Methods), MASC (Alternative Conflict Resolution Methods) or MESC (Extrajudicial Conflict Resolution Mechanisms). However, the most widespread is ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) for its acronym in English.[2].
History
Contenido
El nacimiento del movimiento ADR se produjo en Estados Unidos en la década de los años 70. Sin embargo, antes de tal acontecimiento, tuvieron lugar una serie de factores sociales, políticos y económicos que influyeron en su aparición.
Tras el crac del 29 y la Gran Depresión de la década de 1930, época de enorme desigualdad social y laboral, se empezaron a buscar diferentes vías de solución de conflictos. En este contexto, en el que había un gran número de juicios y los litigios se habían encarecido, se comenzó a utilizar la mediación "Mediación (derecho)") como método alternativo al sistema judicial.[3].