By: Idalia Pinal Imagine you are a young person who just moved to a new country. You have gotten into some legal trouble, and now you’re asked to sit down in a room and talk things out with the person involved (such as the victim, a judge, an attorney, or a mediator). You are supposed to explain your side, take responsibility, and possibly make things right, but the rules, the language, and even the way people talk are all unfamiliar. This process is called mediation, a form

By: Ashley Gale Vaughan, J.D. Most legal disputes in the United States are resolved outside of the courtroom through a set of processes known as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). ADR includes informal resolutions like settlements in civil cases and plea bargains in criminal matters, as well as more formal alternatives such as mediation and arbitration. These processes allow people to resolve conflicts without the time, cost, and unpredictability of a trial. But why does A