Rule 67.Types of Alternative Dispute Resolution

Part VIII. Settlement and Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) · Last amended January 1, 2019 · Last verified September 4, 2026

In one sentenceRule 67 is a two-sentence index pointing to the four alternative dispute resolution rules that follow and to conciliation court.

Full Text of Rule 67

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) Alternative Dispute Resolution includes these processes:

(1) A collaborative law process under Rule 67.1;

(2) Family law arbitration under Rule 67.2;

(3) Private mediation under Rule 67.3; and

(4) A settlement conference under Rule 67.4.

(b) Conciliation court services are described in Rule 68.

End

Rule History

Added Aug. 30, 2018, effective Jan. 1, 2019.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 67 is the shortest rule in Part VIII and does nothing but route.

Alternative dispute resolution includes a collaborative law process under Rule 67.1, family law arbitration under Rule 67.2, private mediation under Rule 67.3, and a settlement conference under Rule 67.4. Conciliation court services are described separately in Rule 68.

Why the numbering matters

The four decimal rules under Rule 67 are the four processes the parties choose and pay for themselves. Rule 68's conciliation court is a service of the court, staffed by court employees and available whether or not a petition has been filed. Keeping conciliation court outside the 67 series reflects that difference in kind rather than a difference in importance — Rule 68 is one of the longest rules in the ruleset.

How the four differ

They are not interchangeable, and Rule 66(b) supplies the distinctions. A collaborative law process is a lawyer-driven settlement structure whose defining feature is that the lawyers are disqualified if it fails. Arbitration produces a binding award that a court confirms. Mediation is facilitative and confidential, and the mediator decides nothing. A settlement conference is mediation conducted by a judicial officer who may sign a decree on the spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ADR processes does Rule 67 cover?

Rule 67(a) lists a collaborative law process under Rule 67.1, family law arbitration under Rule 67.2, private mediation under Rule 67.3, and a settlement conference under Rule 67.4.

Where is conciliation court covered?

Rule 67(b) says conciliation court services are described in Rule 68.

Which of these produces a binding decision?

Family law arbitration under Rule 67.2 produces an award, which Rule 67.2(n)(4) makes enforceable as a judgment only after confirmation by the court under Rule 67.2(o).

Which processes are confidential?

Rule 66(b) describes mediation under Rule 67.3 and settlement conferences under Rule 67.4 as confidential processes. Rule 67.1(p) makes collaborative law communications confidential to the extent the parties agree in a signed writing or as other law provides.

Source & verification. Rule text and Rule History reproduced verbatim from the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure as published by the Arizona Supreme Court, current through amendments effective January 1, 2026. Promulgated by the Supreme Court of Arizona (Ariz. Const. art. 6, § 5). Last verified September 4, 2026. · Official text

Also known as: types of ADRcollaborative lawarbitrationprivate mediationsettlement conferenceconciliation court