Settling Disputes

This book is about the growth of settlement alternatives in families, businesses, government, and the legal system. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various processes from the points of view of participants and others affected by either the outcome or the costs of achieving it.

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Within the past few years, innovative methods have been developed not only to settle disputes out of court but also to supplement or replace the means by which legislatures, businesses, communities, therapists, and schools handle conflicts that once could be resolved only by litigation or force. Settling Disputes serves as an essential guide to the new settlement alternatives. This updated edition, in response to the rapid changes of the past five years, includes substantial new material that describes recent transformations in the way that courts and public agencies respond to disputes. The book discusses alternative dispute resolution from the viewpoints of potential participants and offers advice to those who are involved in disputes to help them analyze their situations and goals. Finally, it provides suggestions for professionals involved in dispute resolution and for those whose jobs in law, business, or government are affected by the new options for settling disputes.The dispute resolution movement continues to offer the most hopeful, powerful alternative to the business and personal costs of litigation or, worse, of violence. It has tremendous implications for the professional lives of Americans, for their private lives?as parents, spouses, neighbors, and consumers?and for their role as citizens.The first edition of Settling Disputes was awarded the 1990 Center for Public Resources Book Prize.