Small Claims: Document Only Arbitration

For claims of value equal to or less than

€70,000 Euro
$100,000 USD
£50,000 GBP
$110,000 AUD

we offer a small claims arbitration service.

Wherever you are based, if you have small claim dispute that you want resolved quickly and with minimal cost, fill in our application form or contact us and we will tell you if arbitration is suitable. Your dispute could be resolved within one month and you will not even be required to attend a hearing.

The arbitration will proceed on a document only basis and under the rules of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, subject to any party agreement to the contrary.

This will be conducted by one of our resident arbitrators and is intended to be a much speedier and less costly form of arbitration than may be required for higher value claims.

This service is available for domestic and international disputes, but is currently only available in English.

Cost

The cost of the service is a fixed fee of

€2,100 Euro
$3,000 USD
£1,500 GBP
$3,300 AUD
Other currencies are accepted
Please contact us for the current rate
This fee is for the arbitration itself and not for any legal representation that you may wish to retain.

The fee is payable in advance and will become due once an arbitrator has been appointed and confirmed by the parties. Although the parties are otherwise free to agree between themselves how the fee is to be paid, there is a presumption that the up front fee will be required on a 50/50 basis, with an allocation for the full costs made in the final award depending on the outcome of the proceedings.

Duration

Arbitration based on documents only is intended to be an expedited form of arbitration, and once all parties are in agreement, a timetable will be set for the presentment of submissions and supporting documents. A penalty for costs may become payable by any party who causes undue delay to the proceedings which will also form part of the final award.

Proceedings are generally expected to be resolved within one month from the date that the appointment is confirmed by the parties; however this is subject to all submissions and supporting documents being filed in good time.

 

Proceedings

Proceedings are commenced by the Claimant completing and submitting the application form. When we receive this we will arrange for the other side (the Respondent) to be served with the request for arbitration.

At this stage both parties will also receive a document pack which will include the Terms of Appointment for the arbitrator, details of the arbitration process and the stages involved, and a hearing waiver form whereby the parties expressly agree to proceed on a document only basis. The fee will also become payable at this time.

The Respondent has a limited time to answer to the request, in the usual format, which may or may not include counterclaims. If counterclaims are raised then the original claimant will be given the opportunity to respond to these.

Once the issues and boundaries of the dispute have been identified, both parties will be invited to produce their submissions in full with supporting documentation. Submissions are usually made in rounds, which can continue either until the parties have nothing further to add, or until the arbitrator(s) are satisfied that each party has adequately presented their case.

Decision and Award

During and after the submission rounds, the arbitrator will then have time to raise any queries or request further documentation, until ultimately the arbitrator is ready to a make a decision and close the proceedings.

When the decision has been made the arbitrator will be make an award, which will detail the basis for his decision, the relief granted and any provisions for the allocation of costs or penalties due for unreasonable time delays.

The award will be final and legally binding.

Application

To proceed with our small claims arbitration scheme, simply complete and submit the application form and we will begin the process for you.