Arbitration has become much more common in recent years, as our court dockets have become over crowded. Arbitration is an alternate dispute resolution form that works much like going to court. Arbitrators are licensed by the court. They hear both sides of the case, just as a judge would, and decide which side wins. They also make other decisions like judges would, such as making rulings on motions and the order that witnesses appear. Arbitrators licensed attorneys, and in most cases they must have been a member of the state bar for at least five years. In most cases, the two parties can waive their chance to go to trial and participate in alternative dispute resolution. Arbitration then becomes the means by which their case is settled, and the decision of the arbitrator is as binding as that of a judge. The advantage to using arbitration is that often your case can be heard much more quickly than going to traditional trial.