The Rule of Law and Online Dispute Resolution

There is a tension in the rule of law between the need for dispute resolution, and the need for conformity to law. The tension arises because conformity to law can require cumbersome processes that stand in the way of dispute resolution. I address the capacity of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) to advance the rule of law by providing resolution of disputes that cannot effectively be resolved through the judicial paradigm of dispute resolution. And I point out pathologies of ODR, that can lead to one of the two antitheses of the rule of law: anarchy, or the arbitrary exercise of power. I conclude that ODR is not necessarily contrary to the rule of law, and may be a huge advance in the rule of law. But its potential failings are potential failures in the rule of law