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    Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediation Training Information

    In order to be certified as a mediator by the Florida Supreme Court, requirements. As these requirements are mandatory, please ensure you read them IN FULL before contacting a trainer.

    Mediation Training

    • Successful completion of a Florida Supreme Court certified mediation training program is one of these requirements. In order to successfully complete the training, you must attend one entire training program. Under no circumstances may you be excused from attending portions of the training due to scheduled appointment or obligations (e.g., doctor appointments, hearings, court appearances, or conference calls).

    • An application for certification will be sent to individuals upon successful completion of a Florida Supreme Court certified mediation training program, and will not be sent prior to completion of training.

    Mentorship

    • In addition to completing the training requirements (specific to type of certification you are seeking), you must possess sufficient education and experience, and complete the required mentorship obligations (observation of court-ordered mediations by Florida Supreme Court certified mediators of the type for which you are seeking certification and/or completion of court-ordered mediations supervised by a Florida Supreme Court certified mediator of the type for which you are seeking certification.)

    • You must obtain and schedule your mentorship opportunities yourself. The court programs may be of assistance to you in completing some of your mentorship obligations; however, these programs are under no obligation to assist all trainees, nor are they obligated to schedule all of your mentorship opportunities. All duly certified mediators are required to allow, upon request, a minimum of two mediation observations per year to assist newly trained mediators. Most certified mediators fulfill this requirement by assisting trainees who they know. Certified mediators are not obligated to allow anyone to co-mediate with them. The final decision to allow an observer or co-mediator is made by the parties.

    • Prior to signing up for this Supreme Court certified mediation training program, you are encouraged to conduct some research into how you will complete your mentorship obligations.

    Timeframe

    You must complete all of your requirements and apply for certification within two years of completion of your Supreme Court Certified Mediation Training Program.

    Mediator Appointment/Selection

    Once you are certified, your name will be added to the searchable directory of certified mediators; however, certification by the Florida Supreme Court as a mediator does not guarantee you any referrals as a mediator.

    In county court (above small claims), family, circuit and dependency cases, parties have ten days from the court’s order of referral to mediation to agree on a mediator. The court will appoint the mediator only if the parties have not been able to agree within that time frame. Statewide, most mediators are selected by agreement of the parties, not by appointment of the court or by use of a rotation list. If the parties do not agree on a mediator, the court may appoint the mediator by use of a rotation list or the Chief Judge of each circuit may establish another means of appointing a mediator by Administrative Order.

    If you anticipate working as a mediator in court-ordered cases, you may wish to research possible referral sources.

    Certification/Renewal Requirements

    Mediators must pay certification and application fees [$20 application fee, plus: $40 for county mediator certification; $125 for family mediator certification; $150 for circuit mediator certification; and $100 for dependency mediator certification] and are certified for a two year period.

    During each renewal cycle, including the one immediately after initial certification, a mediator must complete 16 hours of continuing mediator education (CME) credits, complete a renewal form, and pay a renewal fee (at the same rate as initial certification). See continuing mediator education.

    Certified Mediation Training Providers