What is Neutral-Driven Resolution?
Neutral-Driven Resolution (NDR) is a way to settle a business dispute without a lawsuit and without the adversarial machinery that makes lawsuits expensive. Instead of two sides hiring lawyers to fight, both parties agree on one vetted neutral arbiter. That arbiter investigates the facts and the evidence, applies the law, and issues a decision.
Three steps: choose the arbiter, the arbiter investigates, the arbiter resolves. One neutral, one investigation, one flat fee agreed up front, one decision — typically in three to seven weeks rather than the one to three years a lawsuit takes.
NDR was developed by Just Resolve founder Robert Christopher after a 40-year litigation career, and is laid out in his book Just Right.
How does Just Resolve save time, money, and stress?
NDR uses a single neutral arbiter to investigate and decide your dispute. It eliminates the major drivers of cost in conventional litigation — discovery, trial preparation, briefing, formal pleadings, and evidentiary fights. Most matters resolve in three to seven weeks for a fixed fee.
What is a “limited-stakes dispute”?
A dispute in which the legal costs of a lawyer-driven adversarial process would consume most or all of the financial stakes. In practice, that is the range between small-claims cases and bet-the-company litigation — roughly $10,000 to $500,000. Many conscientious lawyers discourage clients from litigating below $300,000 to $500,000 because they know the fees will eat the recovery.
Who decides?
A neutral arbiter does. Just Resolve recruits, vets, and proposes arbiters. If we do not currently have an arbiter with the right subject- matter expertise, we recruit one and propose them for your approval.
Is the decision binding?
Yes, in our standard process. You can also use NDR in an advisory “early neutral evaluation” mode if both parties prefer a non-binding recommendation first.
How is NDR different from arbitration?
Arbitration usually inherits the adversarial machinery of court — multiple lawyers, depositions, motions, hourly billing. NDR strips that out. One neutral. One investigation. One fixed fee. One decision.
What kinds of disputes don’t fit?
Bet-the-company litigation. Class actions. Disputes that require coercive discovery from third parties. Matters with criminal exposure. If a courtroom is genuinely the right venue, we will tell you.