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Adv.Meerza Zaheer, Senior Associate, SoftSettle Support

We have been trying to make our locally based people to have an awareness of dispute resolution particularly in respect of divorce, custody of children and other family conflicts by means of ADR or ODR so as to keep the affected away from expensive court litigation. Further parties to the family disputes used to have very bitter experiences in the court room as well as in the premises of the court. Hence with the help of agents like some local associations bent on women empowerment we could gather some favorable results against our campaign and to our surprise some families positively responded to our digital marketing about online dispute resolution.

Online dispute resolution (ODR) is a branch of dispute resolution which uses technology to facilitate the resolution of disputes between parties. ODR is a process consisting of online negotiation, mediation or arbitration or a combination of all three. ODR can supplement these traditional means of resolving disputes by applying innovative techniques and online technologies to the process.

ADR though accepted by the present generation to be treated to be an ideal alternative to the expensive court litigation, ODR could able to muster certain benefits that brings ODR and edge over traditional ADR.

Recently a number of Web Sites have emerged that offer online mediation. Online mediation takes place in a secure web space with the parties communicating through telephone, video, and text. Online Mediation has the following advantages:

§  Convenient and flexible

§  Secure and confidential

§  Quicker

§  Less costly

§  The parties don;t have to meet  face-to-face in the same room.

§  If the parties are separated by distance, online mediation can be an efficient solution.

Online divorce mediation will increase popularity in the next decade as online technology becomes more powerful.

The primary and significant factor to this effect is the non-confrontation character of the process. The disputants do not have to meet face-to-face directly, which could sometimes lead to violence between spouses in front of a mediation table.

The second aspect is that settlements of Family Dispute by means of ODR can occur at any time, with participants located in different countries.

SoftSettle Support has come to the foray of the online dispute resolution using the platform MEDIATOR AFFAIR being integrated in the interactive portal www.odrsupport.com. Online General Mediation facilitates Family Dispute Resolution involving just two people in conflict, or include extended family members. Where there are issues related to child protection, pre-break ups, divorce, post-divorce and custody of children and other family conflicts, mediation may involve full family group conferencing if required. The introduction of information technology could able to promote the online dispute resolution to an extent where the clients would be benefitted while using the platform MEDIATOR AFFAIR which could facilitate the parties to go for an easy  discussions (without having direct confrontation with other parties) to reach a settlement.

That being said, not all disputes are driven by emotion. For some the desire to resolve the dispute quickly and at low cost will be more important than addressing emotions face to face. In terms of process there must be a compromise which recognises that dispute resolution is not just about addressing emotional aspects of the dispute. Online mediation provides a mechanism to address the two issues that raise the blood pressure of most clients: cost and delay. What is needed is for clients and their advisers to adapt their skills that they have honed in the “real” world to dispute resolution in the online world.