Konflikti tekom celotnega človeštva spremljajo bolj ali manj vse odnose in skrbijo za njihov zdrav razvoj. Konflikt že v svojem osnovnem pomenu predstavlja najmanj dve različni mišljenji, ki se pojavita ob istem času na istem mestu in zasledujeta isti cilj. Gre torej za soočenje dveh idej, ki se pa lahko zelo slabo konča, če se sprevrže v verbalno, psihično ali fizično nasilje. Takrat reševanje sporov prestopi mejo svoje funkcionalnosti in zamegli vse pozitivne lastnosti, ki jih konflikti prinašajo. Odvisno od vrste ter stopnje odnosa lahko konflikt v določeni fazi pripelje do tragične razrešitve. Nerazrešeni konflikti se namreč lahko spremenijo v vir frustracije in celo sovražnosti. Konfliktov se pogosto bojimo, ker imajo predznak nečesa slabega, v bistvu pa so le pokazatelj naše različnosti, ki je tako ali tako dejstvo. Največja problematika konfliktov tako ni v njihovem obstoju, temveč v tem, kako jih bomo rešili. Kakšna je rešitev na koncu, ni tako bistveno, ampak je ključno to, kako reševanje poteka. Skozi razvoj človeštva se je razvila cela vrsta načinov, kako obvladovati, odpravljati in razreševati konflikte . Načini, s katerimi lahko poravnavamo ali rešimo nastale konflikte med posamezniki ali skupinami, so omejeni. Dominanten način reševanja sporov je sodni postopek, ki pa še zdaleč ni enoten, pač pa je odvisen od predmeta spora. V sodnem procesu bo reševanje potekalo po vnaprej določenih pravnih normah, kjer ni prostora za to, da bi stranka brez pritiska povedala svoje mnenje. Odločitev sodnika bo brezkompromisna, kar pomeni, da bo le za eno stranko predstavljala pravico in zadoščenje. Na drugi strani pa izrazi sprava, mirovni proces, kompromis in sodelovanje predstavljajo »novo« kulturo reševanja sporov, kjer sodelujoči vzamejo spor v svoje roke in skušajo najti rešitev, s katero so zadovoljni vsi udeleženci spora. V tem primeru gre za skupek postopkov, ki so alternativa sodnemu odločanju. »Izraz "alternativno" ima svoj izvor v tem, da naj bi šlo za alternativo klasičnemu civilnemu sodnemu postopku. Ta naj bi bil na splošno preveč zapleten, rigiden, prepočasen in ponekod (zlasti v državah sistema Common Law) tudi občutno predrag, za pravdne stranke pa tudi zelo frustrirajoč zaradi popolne izgube nadzora nad pravili in nad končnim izidom postopka« . Velik problem klasičnega civilnega sodstva v Sloveniji so predvsem sodni zaostanki, zaradi katerih gre pogosto za kršitev odločanja v razumnem roku. Evropsko sodišče je že v več sodbah poudarilo, da je pravica vsakega, da prejme odločbo v razumnem času, izjemnega pomena za ustrezno uveljavljanje pravice do sodnega varstva . Zlasti zaradi preobremenjenosti sodišč in sodnih zaostankov se v sedanjem času daje velik poudarek na uvajanje in razvijanje alternativnega reševanja sporov. Alternativno reševanje sporov (ARS) oziroma alternative dispute resolution (ADR) ni sojenje, ki se praviloma izvaja v okviru sodišč, ampak gre za izvensodno reševanje sporov, kjer stranke s pomočjo ene ali več tretjih nevtralnih oseb sporazumno oblikujejo rešitev. Te oblike reševanja konfliktov so predvsem bolj fleksibilne, mogoče jih je prilagajati potrebam konkretnega spora. Po mnenju teorije in prakse je glavni in tipični predstavnik ARS mediacija, ki pa so se ji takoj ali pa sčasoma pridružile še druge metode. Zakon o alternativnem reševanju sodnih sporov (v nadaljevanju ZARSS) kot metode ARS našteva postopke mediacije, arbitraže, zgodnje nevtralne ocene, hkrati pa navaja, da je ARS katerikoli postopek, ki je podoben naštetim alternativnim razsojevalnim postopkom . »Iz same narave »alternativnosti« izhaja, da je število metod ARS neomejeno, torej ne velja tako imenovano načelo numerus clausus« . Društvo mediatorjev Slovenije v svojem velikem priročniku o mediaciji z naslovom Mediacija v teoriji in praksi zraven mediacije našteva še sledeče metode ARS: zgodnja nevtralna ocena, obvezna nezavezujoča arbitraža, mini sojenje, sumarna porotna obravnava, poravnalni narok, zase For as long as humanity has existed conflicts have accompanied more or less every sort of human relations and have ensured their healthy development. Conflict, at its' most fundamental level represents at least two opposing mindsets which appear at the same time and place and pursue a shared goal. It serves as a confrontation of two ideas which can end very poorly if it turns into verbal, psychological or physical violence. At that point conflict resolution crosses the line of its functionality and obscures all of the inherently positive qualities of conflict. Depending on the nature and level of a relationship conflict in a certain phase may lead to a tragic outcome. Unresolved conflicts can distort into a source of frustration and even hostility. We often fear conflicts due to their negative connotations while in fact they are simply indicative of our heterogeneity which is a fact in and of itself. Therefore the greatest concern regarding conflicts should not be the fact of their existence but rather the approach we choose in their resolution. The end result is not as relevant as the manner of the process. Throughout the evolution of mankind a whole pallet of methods of managing, eliminating and resolving such conflicts has evolved. However the ways in which we can settle or resolve conflicts between individuals or groups is finite. The predominant method of resolving conflicts today is the course of legal proceedings, which are not unified but depend on the object of dispute. During the legal proceedings the resolution of the dispute will necessarily follow a set of pre-determined legal norms, which make no room for a party to express its opinion without any sort of pressure. The judges’ decision at the end of the proceedings will be uncompromising which means that only one of the parties will find it fair and satisfactory. On the other hand terms such as reconciliation, peace process, compromise and cooperation present a “new” culture of conflict resolution wherein the participants take the dispute into their own hands and attempt to find a satisfactory solution for all involved parties. These courses of procedure form a comprehensive alternative to judicial decision. The choice of term “alternative” originates in the fact that these methods of conflict resolution present an alternative course to the classic civil legal judicial process which can generally be said to be too complex, rigid, slow and in some cases (especially in the countries utilizing the so called Common Law system) too expensive for the disputing parties as well as very frustrating due to the complete loss of control over the rules and end result of the process. A big problem of the classic civil judicial system in Slovenia is the matter of numerous unresolved cases which often comes to a violation of right of decision in a reasonable time limit. The Court of Justice of the European Union has stressed in several decisions that a parties’ right to receive a legal decision in a timely manner is of the utmost importance to the appropriate application of the parties’ legal rights. Taking into account that and the instances of court overload it is not surprising that nowadays evermore attention is given to the implementation and development of alternative dispute resolution. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) or alternativno reševanje sporov (ARS) is not a trial in the sense of a formal judicial proceeding, but an extrajudicial method of dispute resolution in the course of which the disputing parties form a consensual solution to the dispute with the aid of one or more neutral third parties. These forms of conflict resolution are mainly more flexible allowing their modification to the specific requirements of the specific conflict. According to the legal theory and practice the classic form of ADR is mediation which was later joined by other, similar methods. Zakon o alternativnem reševanju sodnih sporov (in the following ZARSS) recognizes the proceedings of mediation, arbitrage, and early neutral assessment as the methods of ADR