Yes, you always want to retain your own lawyer - and it will be cheaper to hire a lawyer to see through an arbitration than a full lawsuit. Additionally most o

Yes, you always want to retain your own lawyer - and it will be cheaper to hire a lawyer to see through an arbitration than a full lawsuit. Additionally most of the binding arbitration agreements I've seen consign the cost of the arbitrator to the company - so you're not paying the often thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to the retired judge who will rule on the case. I personally object to binding arbitration - but it is certainly less expensive to engage in arbitration than a full lawsuit. Additionally it may be possible to recoup your legal fees as part of the final arbitration, though this is not guaranteed (and shouldn't be for very good reasons).