"I realized that the true function of a lawyer was to unite parties. A large part of my time during the 20 years of my practice as a lawyer was occupied in bringing about private compromises of hundreds of cases. I lost nothing thereby – not even money, certainly not my soul." Mahatma Gandhi's words couldn't have been truer, especially at a time when the backlog of court cases is so colossal that alternate means of dispute resolution have evolved from being an alternative to being a necessity. Arbitration has, especially, gained popularity for business dispute resolution due to the fact that it allows for private settlement of disputes away from media attention and ensures confidentiality, unlike Courts which provide a public forum for dispute resolution. However, anybody who has had firsthand experience of being involved in an arbitration would know that it has a long way to go before it achieves its desired purpose of becoming faster and mo...
