Frequently Asked Questions

We schedule on a first come, first serve basis. Contact us by telephone for booking dates and times.

Our rates are competitive and custom tailored to fit the individual needs of our clients. We are confident that the total cost will be less than the cost of one unwanted continuance in the public system.

We pay $100.00 per day for each day of service. We pay that amount regardless of whether the day consists of a half or full day. Payment is made at the conclusion of the deliberations.

Simply complete our online questionnaire and indicate your dates of availability. You will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and, if selected for service, required to participate in the entire trial. Partial service on a jury will forfeit your right to be paid for your time.

Since the proceeding is an Arbitration agreed upon between the parties, there is no limit to the creativity of the jury panel.The parties can individually select the persons they want to hear the dispute or agree to allow Private Trials to bring in a group of 25 people who will then be selected through the use of individual voir dire questioning and seated through the use of peremptory challenges and challenges for cause. The main difference between selecting a jury through Private Trials and the public system is that our jurors want to participate. Attorneys for the parties can then present their case to motivated individuals who are being paid to listen to them resulting in a better, more informed deliberation process.

Traditionally, Arbitration involved the selection of one individual who served as a "single" Arbitrator. Recently, depending upon the complexity of the case, parties have preferred to use a "panel" of individuals (commonly three) where each side to the dispute chooses one individual and those persons selected  chose a third. The dispute is then submitted to the three arbitrators who deliberate and reach a decision. At Private Trials, we offer another alternative. Our state-of-the-art courtroom allows the parties to a dispute to select six,eight,10 or 12 individuals to serve as jurors who will listen to the evidence and reach a verdict, just like a traditional jury trial. The trial is presided over by one of our retired trial judges and conducted with the same dignity and protocol used in the public judicial system. We provide court clerks, baliffs and, upon request, court reporters who can transcribe the entire proceeding. We also videotape the trial and provide a complete record from start to finish. Most importantly, the proceedings are confidential.

Arbitration is where the parties to a dispute agree to submit their case to a fact finder who listens to the evidence and renders a decision. The parties can agree to make the Arbitrator's decision either binding or non-binding. The Arbitration process is a matter of an individual contract between the parties and can be as simple as submitting the dispute through the use of legal briefs, or as complex as the full presentation of evidence through the testimony of witnesses and introduction of exhibits.

Mediation is a voluntary process whereby the parties to a dispute agree to meet with a neutral third party who attempts to skillfully steer the parties to a resolution of their differences. Unlike most mediation services, at Private Trials we don't begin the process with a "caucus" or joint meeting between all the participants. We separate the parties into individual conference rooms and work with all sides in a private setting. This avoids starting off the mediation in a confrontational setting and allows all sides to speak with the mediator in an open and frank way, reducing the length of the mediation and resulting in a more than 90 percent success rate.