Sorry to revive this, but I have been researching this and here is a general outline of the processes. I am not a lawyer. This should put many in the right direction, but it would take an idiot to neglect to fact check this.
1. Upon receiving the award, both parties are notified.
2. As the award winner you must give ample time for the other party to pay, this is usually 30 days.
You may wish to POLITELY, inform the other party with a written letter (that you will copy, sign, and send) of their obligation to pay, or at least to try to pay.
3a. If the defaulter does not try to work with you, you will need to petition a state court to confirm your award. You will want to petition a court that has jurisdiction over the defaulter (such as the court of the state they live in).
In case you do not know, confirmation (in this context) is the process of a judge reviewing the award and then passing a judgement on it.
In case you do not know, petition (in this context) is a formal written document asking the court to act in some way. Such as to confirm something.
If a judgement is passed on your award, it will be legally binding.
If your award is approved by the courts, they will issue what is called a "fi fa", which will charge the sheriff with seizing and liquidating the assets of the defaulter.
Confirmation of arbitration awards is generally regarded as procedural, and if everything was done correctly it should be relatively painless to pursue.
3b. Many states have a specific application you can fill out to petition the courts. They may also require additional information such as (but not limited too):
1. Proof that the other party was informed that you would petition the courts.
2. A copy of the Arbitration agreement.
3. A copy of the Arbitration Award.
4. An affidavit regarding the arbitration award (2-4 are available for a $35 fee at arb-net).
5. A Proposed Order, telling a court what relief you are seeking.
6. A memorandum of law, basically stating legal precedent for why the judge should confirm.
7. Possibly others...
Since arb-net is a binding arbitration, and US law caters to arbitration willingly, you should have no problem getting a a judgement on your award, provided you follow all the steps required of you.
Also, many UN nations have ratified several treaties upholding arbitration, and you may find it easily enforceable internationally as well.
3c. Some applications to petition a court for confirmation of your award may require an additional fee as well. This will vary from state to state.
3d. Do not forget to consider time, energy, and postage when pursuing your award.
3d. You may have to physically appear before the court, but this is not always the case.
3e. Some states will allow you to claim the expenditures that you make to confirm your award, as part of your award. This may not always be the case, do be careful. You don't want to lose your award for daring to give a scam-er what they deserve.
3g. You need to get the award confirmed within a year of receiving it. If not, you may lose the ability to confirm it due to federal law.
4. It will generally take 2 -14 months before you will receive your money once the process has started.
Interesting note: A judgement is entered into the public record, which credit companies check. This process will likely harm the defaulters credit score for 5-10 years.
Other note: With the amount of time and energy involved, it may not be worth pursuing for anything less than a couple hundred dollars.
Also: You probably will not need a lawyer (you can represent your self with a petition), but you might if they try to contest it with their own representation.
Lastly: statistically most defaulters will try to accommodate once courts enter the conversation. It maybe worth pursuing, at least to a point, even if not 100%.
I hope this helps some people.