Mediators

I retired from law practice and became a Supreme Court certified circuit court mediator in 2019. While I have enjoyed being a circuit court mediator, this year I decided to commit more time to using my skills to serve my community. I live in Clay County, near Jacksonville, and contacted the Fourth Circuit Mediation program in Clay County to inquire about mediating small claims cases on an unpaid basis. I was surprised to learn that I would have to go through the same process to be certified as a county court mediator that I had gone through to be a certified circuit court mediator. This process is expensive, lengthy, and largely redundant.

As I read the proposed amendments to Rule 10.100 (mediator qualifications), a certified circuit court mediator could apply for initial certification as a county court mediator without having to accumulate 100 points through education, training, and mentorship. I assume that this means that only an application and payment of a fee would be required as long as all of the qualifications of a certified circuit court mediator were currently met.

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