A Collaborative Hearing is an arbitration hearing for cases where personal representation or a panel of three arbitrators is requested.

A personal representative request can be made by either a Recovering or Responding party. Personal representatives should be requested either to present a video that cannot be uploaded or to answer questions/clarify information the arbitrator may have during a hearing. There are three types of personal representative requests to choose from.

1. Teleconference – This is a telephone meeting between the arbitrator and personal representative that is facilitated by AF to allow the arbitrator the opportunity to ask questions they may have about the case.  
2. Managed Hearing – A teleconference is scheduled, but only if the arbitrator has questions for the personal representative.
3. Video Conference – This is an online meeting where the personal representative can present a video to the arbitrator if it could not be uploaded. This occurs when either the video was too large, or the type of video format is not compatible with the system.

For additional information on the personal representative process, please see the June 2021 E-Bulletin.

A panel of three request can be made by either a Recovering or Responding party on cases where the damages sought are $15,000 or greater.  With this request, three arbitrators review a case instead of one. The arbitrators meet via teleconference to collaborate, discuss, and render a decision on the case. This process is facilitated by someone from AF.