In the last six months, eight major corporations have installed voluntary plans, according to Robert Meade, of the American Arbitration Association.

FORBES: Better safe than sorry

Long before there was an American Arbitration Association, antagonists in business and the professions who feared the abstrusities of law courts had a different means of alternative dispute resolution:the duel.

FORBES: Forget those depositions. Let's duel.

On the other side are the U.S. Chamber, the American Bankers Association and other business interests who say arbitration is a cheaper and more effective way to resolve business disputes.

FORBES: Supreme Court Asked: Are Class Actions Sacred?