These ADR services are offered at no charge, either on the day of trial or before the trial date (pre-trial), through the District Court ADR Programs. Arbitration is a process for settling disputes related to the contract.Many contracts contain a mandatory arbitration clause. Arbitration is a legally binding process that resolves contract disputes without having to take the disagreement to court. The short answer is no, you don't need a lawyer in arbitration. However, the arbitration dispute resolution process is adversarial. If you choose to represent yourself, then you must also follow the same statutes and Maryland Rules for your type of case that an attorney must follow. Even if you do not have a lawyer, you must follow all the court rules. You cannot use "discovery" to get information about the other side. Maryland Courts first look to Maryland law to decide if state or Federal law applies to a request to compel arbitration.