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Arbitration

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Compass with word Arbitration

 Contact
Arbitration Coordinator
Phone: 503-655-8447, option 5

 Email
Arbitration

 Hours
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, from 8 am – 12 pm and 1pm – 5pm

 Address 

1000 Courthouse Rd
Oregon City, Oregon 97045
 Map

Arbitration is a procedure, much like a trial but less formal. Instead of a decision being made by a judge or jury, an arbitrator hears the evidence and makes a decision. Like a judge, an arbitrator makes rulings on motions, decides the order in which witnesses appear and the testimony they give, and may impose penalties on a party who disobeys the arbitrator’s orders. Like a jury, an arbitrator, after hearing the evidence, decides which side wins and which side loses, and what the result will be.

Arbitration forms are available on the "Forms" page.

Court-connected arbitrators have applied to the court and have been accepted by the Clackamas County Arbitration Commission to be on our arbitrator's list. Application to serve as an arbitrator is available on the Forms page. Pursuant to UTCR 13.090(1) “unless otherwise ordered or stipulated, an arbitrator must be a member of the Oregon State Bar, who has been admitted to any Bar for a minimum of five years, or a retired or senior judge. The parties may stipulate to a non-lawyer arbitrator.” The arbitrator is either chosen by the parties and their attorneys or selected by a judge or court clerk.

The court orders a case into arbitration. Once the court order is entered, the court provides a list of arbitrators, and the parties can either select an arbitrator from the list or choose someone that both sides trust to make fair decisions.

The court is currently accepting applications to serve as an arbitrator.  Initial and Renewal Applications are available on the court's forms page.  Please click here​ to go to that page.  Effective March 30, 2010 there are new requirements for current arbitrators and those applying to serve as an arbitrator. Please click here to view the Order Regarding Rules for Training and Continuing Education for Clackamas County Arbitrators, and the April 6, 2010 Letter to Arbitrators.  

In most cases, the decision of the arbitrator is either accepted by both sides, or both sides decide to settle the case. If either side does not want to accept the arbitrator’s decision, the case may go back before a judge or jury for a decision. A party wishing to appeal the arbitration award must do so within 20 days after the arbitration award is filed with the court, and must also pay $150 to the clerk of the court.

The case then goes to trial. The judge or the jury deciding the case does not know what the arbitrator decided. The party who ultimately loses the case may still be required to pay the winner’s share of the arbitration fees. If an appealing party does not get a better result in the judge or jury trial, that party will lose the $150 they paid to have the appeal.

Court-mandated arbitration is governed by Oregon Revised Statutes 36.400-425, Uniform Trial Court Rules, Chapter 13 and Clackamas County Supplemental Local Rules, Chapter 13. Refer to these sections if you have questions, but if you still have an inquiry please contact the Arbitration Coordinator for Clackamas County.

They can be contacted at:
E-Mail: Arbitration Coordinator
Fax: 503-650-​8909
Phone: 503-655-8447​, option 6

Within 14 days of the appointment of the arbitrator, each party must tender to the arbitrator the sum of $500.00 as preliminary payment unless a party has secured a fee waiver or deferral, in which case the party must submit a copy of the order waiving or deferring arbitration fees to the arbitrator. The Arbitration Commission has set the arbitrator’s fee at a rate of $175.00 per hour, not to exceed $1,400.00 except upon a showing of extraordinary conditions and with the approval of the Presiding Judge of Clackamas County Circuit Court.

If either or both parties are unable to afford the cost of an arbitrator, you may apply for a fee deferral or waiver within 14 days from the date the case is transferred to arbitration. The fee deferral and application and order must be submitted to the Clackamas County Circuit Court, Accounting Unit, 1st Floor, Public Service Center, for review and submission to the assigned judge.

In the event funds are available under ORS 36.420 and a fee deferral or waiver has been granted by the court, the arbitrator shall be reimbursed after completion of the arbitration, filing of the arbitration award, and submission of a request for payment to the Trial Court Administrator of the Clackamas County Circuit Court.

Arbitration is a way to keep the cost of lawsuits down and shorten the time it takes for a case to get resolved. The arbitrator decides when motions and hearings are set. Before the hearing, each side must give the arbitrator a list of the witnesses who will testify at the arbitration hearing and a description of any evidence that will be presented.

An arbitration hearing is more informal than a court proceeding, but the arbitrator is required to have witnesses swear that their testimony is true and allow the parties or their lawyers to ask questions and introduce evidence. The arbitrator may ask questions of the witnesses or require that the parties or their lawyers submit other evidence after the hearing. An arbitrator may also delay or continue a hearing to give each side a chance to get its entire case presented. Because the rules of evidence are less strict in arbitration than in a trial, the parties may be able to save the cost of paying witnesses, such as doctors and other experts, by submitting their written reports instead. 

Review the Clackamas Arbitration Flowchart​ to see what steps are involved in arbitration.  It also includes imortant information about dates by which payment or actions are due.
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What kind of cases go into arbitration? There are two kinds of cases that go into arbitration. The first kind is a civil lawsuit. A civil lawsuit is a case where one party, the plaintiff, is suing another person or corporation, the defendant, for money. Examples include a personal injury case from an automobile accident, a disagreement about a contract, or some other type of case that doesn't involve criminal charges. In civil cases, the lawsuit goes into arbitration depending on the amount of money the plaintiff is asking for. Cases less than $50,000 must go into arbitration.
 
The second kind of case that goes into arbitration is a domestic relations or family law case, where the parties are arguing about something other than custody or support. An example is a case where the husband and wife cannot agree on how to divide their property and their debts.