The arbitration office is an independent body for pre-court dispute resolution. Arbitrators are honorary officials of the state and are therefore bound to confidentiality and impartiality.

Status of arbitrators 

The arbitrators in Rhineland-Palatinate are honorary officials of the state and perform their duties on a voluntary basis. By taking the oath of office, they are bound to absolute confidentiality and impartiality in the performance of their duties.

What are the arbitrator's duties and in which cases can they help you? 

The arbitrator is available to all citizens of the state capital Mainz for out-of-court dispute resolution. The arbitrator is the "mediating authority" in the following private criminal offenses (crimes) in which the legislator has made a pre-trial conciliation attempt mandatory: 

• Insult
• Bodily injury
• Damage to property
• Trespassing
• Threats
• Violation of the secrecy of correspondence 

You can also ask the arbitrator to settle disputes in civil law cases, e.g., property-related disputes (rent disputes, claims for damages, etc.), disputes arising from neighbor law, and disputes over claims for violation of personal honor.

Arbitration is better than litigation! 

With the support of the arbitrator, the parties find their own solution. This means that no one "wins" or "loses" and there is a high probability that the peace will be lasting. With us, you always win, because 

• your case is processed quickly, even outside normal working hours.
• the procedure is inexpensive and worth a try. 

What can you expect? 

You sit down at a table with the arbitrator and the person with whom you are in dispute and clarify the matter in question. This is also the case if you are no longer able to talk to the other party. This is because the Rhineland-Palatinate Arbitration Regulations stipulate that the parties must appear in person, at least in criminal cases, and give the arbitrators the option of imposing a fine in the event of non-compliance.

Arbitrators are bound by the oath they have taken to absolute confidentiality and impartiality. In a conversation conducted with empathy, the arbitrator, as a "neutral authority," attempts to bring the parties back into dialogue with each other, settle the dispute, and reach a settlement. If this is not successful despite all efforts, you still have the option of seeking legal assistance.

However, arbitrators can mediate, but they cannot judge! Nevertheless, they have a proven success rate of more than 50%, and experience shows that a successful mediation leads to greater satisfaction among the originally disputing parties than a decision by a court ruling. You can find useful information about the tasks of arbitration offices and arbitration boards on the homepage of the Bundes Deutscher Schiedsmänner und Schiedsfrauen e.V. (Overview of courts, general neighbor law, arbitration office, arbitrators).

There are three districts for pre-trial decisions:

• Mainz 1 arbitration office district (Old Town, Hartenberg/Münchfeld, Neustadt, Oberstadt)
• Mainz 2 arbitration office district (Ebersheim, Finthen, Gonsenheim, Laubenheim, Mombach)
• Mainz 3 arbitration district (Bretzenheim, Drais, Hechtsheim, Lerchenberg, Marienborn, Weisenau)