Rule 1 The Court Annexed Arbitration Program

Here's a plain English summary of this rule:

Hawaiʻi has a special program that sends certain civil lawsuits to arbitration before they go to trial. Arbitration means a neutral person (an arbitrator) listens to both sides and makes a decision, kind of like a mini-trial without a jury.

This program is required for cases that qualify, meaning you don't get to choose whether to use it. However, it's "non-binding," which means if you don't like the arbitrator's decision, you can still ask for a full trial in court later. The program mainly applies to certain types of civil cases in Hawaiʻi, not every lawsuit filed in the state.

The main point of this rule is to explain that this program exists and to set up the basic idea behind it. Other rules in this same set will explain the details, like which cases qualify, how the process works, and what happens after the arbitrator makes a decision.