The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts has published a revised version of the Benchbook for Arbitrators. The new version replaces the previous version which was last revised in 2012 when the Rules for Court-Ordered Arbitration were updated.

Updates to the Benchbook have been made several times since it was first published in 1987. Current and past amendments to the Benchbook have been made with contributions by the staff in the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts Office of General Counsel and the Court Programs Division and also the North Carolina Bar Association.

The latest revision to the Benchbook comes as the result of amendments adopted by the Supreme Court of North Carolina to Rule 6 of the Rules for Court Ordered Arbitration. The amendments permit arbitration hearings to be conducted by remote audio and video transmission following the requirements applicable to judicial officials in G.S. 7A-49.6.

The Court-Ordered Arbitration Program is available in 74 counties for eligible civil district court matters.