So why would someone use arbitration? What are the benefits?

One of the biggest benefits of arbitration over litigation is the ability to "choose your own judge (arbitrator)." In litigation, if you go before the family court, you will be assigned a judge from the docket. In arbitration, you have the ability to choose an arbitrator. You would be able to find an arbitrator that has experience in your particular dispute. If you were to litigate, you would have no guarantee that the judge you’re assigned has any experience or even any interest in the area of your dispute.

You would be surprised how many divorce trials are heard by judges who are not entirely familiar with family law. Judges are often educated in the courtroom by the lawyers, especially when they have been assigned the case out of the norm due to courthouse case overload.