Alternative Dispute Resolution is a mechanism by which different types of legal disputes are resolved through out-of-court processes like arbitration, and mediation as an alternative to civil litigation. ADR methods can be effective in reducing the time, money, and adversarial nature associated with traditional court-based proceedings.
Thousand Oaks, commonly referred to as "T.O. " by residents, is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak. The city forms the most populated part of a regional area called the Conejo Valley, which includes Thousand Oaks proper, Newbury Park (which is really just a portion of the city, plus some unincorporated areas), Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, and Oak Park. The Los Angeles County/Ventura County line crosses at the western city limits of Westlake Village. The City of Thousand Oaks along with Newbury Park were part of a master planned city, created by the Janss Investment Company in the mid-1950s. It included about 1,000 custom home lots, 2,000 single-family residences, a regional shopping center, 200-acre (0.81 km) industrial park and several neighborhood shopping centers. Today, real estate in the area is very expensive, with median home prices around $673,000 . It is located in the northwestern area of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city was in 2006 named one of Money magazine's Best Places to Live.