Types of Arbitration

Judge Patricia Stone is a former assistant district attorney and full-time juvenile court judge for the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia. She currently serves as a senior judge for the Georgia Juvenile Court system and is a senior partner in the law firm of Stone & Sullivan, LLC. In addition to her work as a lawyer and judge, Patricia Stone applies her expertise as a mediator and arbitrator for Miles Mediation and Arbitration Services in Georgia.

Miles Mediation and Arbitration Services is a leading provider of alternative dispute resolution services. Founded in 2000, Miles Mediation recently opened a new facility in Savannah, Georgia, where mediation and arbitration services are provided in a comfortable and low pressure environment.

Arbitration is generally defined as a process of settling a dispute between two parties by a neutral individual, known as an arbitrator. Arbitration can be applied through several forms which include grievance, interest, and statutory dispute arbitration. 

- Grievance arbitration refers to the settlement of a grievance between a labor union and an employer, and which involves an assertion that terms of a labor agreement have been violated.

- Interest arbitration refers to a fact finding process in which both parties make their case to an arbitrator who determines how to settle the dispute.

- Statutory dispute arbitration is most often used in non-union disputes, such as a claim of harassment or discrimination.

Court Appointed Special Advocates

In her current position as a mediator and arbitrator with Miles Mediation and Arbitration Services, Judge Patricia Stone specializes in civil and domestic litigation cases. Over the course of her legal career, Judge Patricia Stone has trained other legal professionals and volunteers in a variety of areas, including volunteers for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), an organization for whom she served as an ex officio board member. 

CASA promotes volunteer advocacy for every child involved in the court system due to abuse or neglect. Court appointed CASA volunteers support and guide children through the legal system, including social services and foster care, advocating for their best interests throughout the process until the child’s case is resolved and they’re living in a safe and healthy home environment. 

CASA is a large organization; in 2015 alone, over 250,000 mistreated and traumatized children were helped by more than 76,000 volunteers nationwide.

Since its creation in 1977 by a family court, CASA has been one of the most effective programs working in this area of the law. Research shows that children who have been appointed a volunteer advocate spend significantly less time in long-term foster care and are additionally less likely to reenter care.