How Online Arbitration Works, From Filing to Award

Online arbitration takes the structure of arbitration — both sides present their case, a neutral adjudicator decides — and moves the whole process into a private online case room. No courtroom, no travel, no scheduling a hearing across town. Everything happens in writing, on a shared record.

Here is the process from start to finish, using the DecidePlease™ flow as the example.

Step 1: Open a Case

One party opens a case on DecidePlease™ and receives an access code for a private case room. They share that code with the other party, who joins the same room.

The room is the case: both parties work inside it from beginning to end, and no one else has access. Unlike a court filing, the case is not a public record.

Step 2: Both Parties Affirm the Agreement

Before any submissions open, both parties must affirm the arbitration agreement. This step matters. It confirms that both sides knowingly agree to the process, its rules, and its terms — including the mode selected and whether the award will be advisory or binding.

On DecidePlease™, awards are non-binding and advisory by default. An award is binding only if both parties explicitly opt in, with a separate opt-in recorded for each party. Nothing about being bound happens by default or by one party's choice alone.

Step 3: Choose the Mode

DecidePlease™ offers three modes:

• AI Adjudicator. An AI reviews the complete written record and issues a reasoned award.
• AI-assisted human arbitrator. AI screens submissions and helps draft, while a human arbitrator makes the decision.
• Human arbitrator. A human arbitrator handles the case with no AI screening.

The modes share the same rounds and the same on-the-record structure. They differ in who — or what — evaluates the record and issues the award.

Step 4: Opening Statements

The process runs in rounds. First, each party submits an opening statement: what happened, what they are asking for, and why they believe the record supports it.

In the AI modes, submissions are screened by patented message-screening technology (U.S. Patent Nos. 11,025,567 and 11,757,805). The screening scores messages in real time for tone and intent. If a submission crosses the line into heated or abusive territory, the system can suggest a softened rewrite, or hold the message for the arbitrator instead of posting it. The patents cover real-time intent scoring and message remediation in dispute conversations — in practical terms, screening that keeps the exchange focused on the substance of the dispute.

Everything submitted is on the record. Every statement and every evidence item is visible to both parties. There are no private caucuses and no side communications — unlike mediation, where private sessions are common, arbitration on DecidePlease™ is conducted entirely on a shared record.

Step 5: Evidence

Evidence is filed as structured entries, each with a title, a description, and a link. A contract, an invoice, a photo of completed work, a message thread — each item is labeled and explained, so the adjudicator can connect every piece of evidence to the claim it supports.

Because the record is shared, each party sees exactly what the other filed — no surprises in the file the decision rests on.

Step 6: Rebuttals

Next comes the rebuttal round. Each party responds to the other side's statement and evidence — pointing out disagreements, answering claims, and clarifying the record.

Rebuttals receive the same screening in AI modes and follow the same on-the-record rule.

Step 7: The Questions Round

DecidePlease™ includes an optional questions round. If the adjudicator needs clarification — a missing date, an unexplained document, a gap in the timeline — questions can be put to the parties before deliberation, and the answers become part of the record.

Not every case needs this round. When used, it ensures the decision rests on a complete record rather than guesswork.

Step 8: Deliberation and Award

Finally, the adjudicator deliberates on the full record and issues the award: a reasoned decision resolving the dispute. In the AI Adjudicator mode, the AI reviews the written record and produces the reasoned award. In the human modes, the arbitrator decides, with or without AI assistance.

Money awards are bounded by the parties' own stated figures — the adjudicator cannot award more than was claimed. The award is advisory unless both parties opted in to be bound, as described above.

Timelines vary by case and by how promptly both parties submit in each round. Because the process is written and asynchronous, each party participates on their own schedule within the rounds, from wherever they are.

Why Written and Online Works

A written process has real advantages: arguments are clearer in writing, evidence is organized instead of scattered across inboxes, both parties address the same record, and no one must travel to a hearing or speak in a courtroom to be heard.

If that structure fits your dispute — two parties, a real disagreement, and a need for a fair decision on the record — DecidePlease™ is ready when you are: open a case, share the access code, and begin.

FAQ

Do both parties have to participate for online arbitration to work? Yes. Both parties join the case room and must affirm the arbitration agreement before submissions open. Arbitration is an agreed process, not one a party can be pulled into on the platform without affirming.

Is anything in a DecidePlease™ case private between one party and the adjudicator? No. Everything is on the record — every submission and evidence item is visible to both parties, and there are no private caucuses.

How long does online arbitration take? It varies by case and by how quickly both parties complete each round. The written, round-based format removes scheduling and travel delays, but no specific timeline applies to every dispute.

General information, not legal advice.

Related: what-is-arbitration, arbitration-agreement-explained, how-ai-adjudication-works