Posted By Bernard Grainger The Industrial Tribunal now called Emploment Tribunals are courts sitting in session, the idea is to provide easy access to the legal system for working people on employment matters, this developed over years to include discrimination, H&S and breach of contract. Cases can go all the way on to the Court of Appeal, House of Lords etc. ADR is a method by which disputes are resolved at an early stage to prevent the system being clogged and save people the aggro of giving evidence. Settling out of court is normally preferable for all concerned. ACAS have carried out this function for years, over the last decade or so Lord Woolf's report Access to Justice aimed at this approach being adopted across the board especially as everyone seemed to be claiming for the slightest thing putting a strain on the court system delaying hearings etc. There is also Proportional Dispute Resolution which aims to equip parties with the necessary info on legal rights and responsibilities etc to nip disputes in the bud and avoid the legal process all together.