The short answer is no, you don't need a lawyer in arbitration. However, the arbitration dispute resolution process is adversarial.For more information about arbitration and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, please contact John at (434) 817-3100. The Virginia State Bar Fee Dispute Resolution Program has helped lawyers and clients successfully, cheaply, and expeditiously resolve hundreds of fee disputes. Arbitration can be an effective tool to win a debt lawsuit. Use SoloSuit to draft a Motion to Compel Arbitration without an attorney. The arbitrator is customarily a retired judge or a practicing attorney who specializes in the area of law that the dispute entails. Under Virginia law, parties to a dispute may agree to submit their differences to arbitration. By signing the Submission Agreement, you are stating that you are one of the following: (1) the claimant; or. The Virginia Supreme Court, in a divided opinion, enforced an arbitration provision that it acknowledged is based on "permissive" language.