In 2021, the Circuit Court of Cook County Law Division mandated arbitration for smaller personal injury cases. In response, ADR Systems is offering a cost-effective Flat Fee Arbitration Program for cases valued at $50,000 or less. Parties can quickly dispose of these matters through binding arbitration at a flat fee of $795 per party.

“Pandemic-related court closures and jury trial suspensions exacerbated already-long delays in the disposal of thousands of smaller personal injury claims,” said Hon. Kay M. Hanlon, (Ret.), senior mediator and arbitrator at ADR Systems. “The binding arbitration program at ADR Systems allows parties in these smaller cases to resolve their dispute quickly, without the high costs associated with taking these matters through the litigation process.”

Under the Law Division’s mandatory arbitration program, either party can reject the award for a $750 fee – but risk paying attorney’s fees if the rejection does not prevail in court. Parties can eliminate the risk of rejection and further costly litigation with the Flat Fee Arbitration Program at ADR Systems.

ADR Systems’ Flat Fee Arbitration Program provides various benefits for attorneys and their clients:

• Parties pay a $795 flat fee each for 2.5 hours of an arbitrator’s submission review, hearing and decision time
• Parties can choose their arbitrator – an option not provided by the Court’s mandatory arbitration program – from among our panel of selected arbitrators for this program
• Parties can expect a decision on their matter and an award within a week of the hearing
• Parties enjoy an efficient scheduling process with all administrative matters handled by their case manager and our staff

These qualified cases accounted for almost 40% of the pending cases in the Law Division in 2021, and the court program continues to see a heavy volume of cases.

Many of ADR Systems’ senior mediators and arbitrators once served as judges within the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, where these claims are heard. “Our collective experience helps us work through arbitrations efficiently,” said Hon. Larry G. Axelrood, (Ret.), senior mediator and arbitrator at ADR Systems. “This program provides a great opportunity to resolve your matter through binding arbitration.

To learn more about ADR Systems’ Flat Fee Arbitration Program, click here or contact us at 312.960.2260.

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Hon. Kay M. Hanlon, (Ret.) has expertise in resolving personal injury actions such as medical malpractice, mass torts and product liability, as well as commercial actions such as legal malpractice, eminent domain and subrogation. Counsel who appeared before Judge Hanlon found her to be perpetually prepared and ready to listen attentively. Her open and friendly demeanor is known throughout the legal community. Her personality is tailor-made for her work as a mediator and arbitrator.

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Hon, Larry G. Axelrood, (Ret.) has extensive experience with medical malpractice, nursing home, railroad, legal malpractice, premises liability, construction and personal injury matters. Having served on the Evanston Police Pension Board and the Illinois Judges Association Pension and Benefits Committee, Judge Axelrood also has in-depth experience with pensions and their impact on various types of cases.

Read Judge Axelrood’s Full Bio Here.

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