The platform, called Ajuve, charges an upfront fee calculated on the amount involved in the dispute and promises to deliver binding awards in under six weeks. As well as the arbitration service, the platform provides a free calculator and a dispute resolution clause for inclusion in contracts. It is also expected to offer online mediation in the coming months. 

Ajuve, which is the brainchild of Quentin Bargate, a senior partner at London firm Bargate Murray, and his son Alex Bargate, an online marketer at the firm, will initially use arbitrators from Bargate Murray, though other lawyers will be invited to join.

‘A simpler and more convenient solution’

Alex Bargate believes that an online alternative has tremendous growth potential: ‘Every year, some 1.75 million claims are filed with the civil courts in England and Wales, of which, approximately 270,000 are defended. We at Ajuve will offer a far better, simpler and more convenient solution.’

Sources: The Law Society Gazette; Acquisition International