Arbitration is a private meeting between two (or sometimes more) parties in a legal dispute. The purpose is to see if the parties can come to an agreement to settle their dispute instead of going to a trial. An impartial person, called an arbitrator, hears both sides of the dispute and makes a decision based on the evidence presented. The parties follow rules they’ve agreed to. The results of arbitration can be just as enforceable as a ruling in court.