Gregory Firestone, Ph.D., is President of My Florida Mediator, Editorial Board member of Family Court Review and Affiliate Associate Professor in the University of South Florida College of Public Health. Prior to starting My Florida Mediator, Dr. Firestone served as Director of the USF Conflict Resolution Collaborative (aka Mediation Institute) for more than twenty years and directed the Residential Mortgage Mediation Program for the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida. For twelve years he served on the Florida Supreme Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy Committee (including seven years as Vice Chair). Dr. Firestone has previously served 1) on the Boards of Directors of the Academy of Family Mediators (AFM), the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), and the Florida Association of Professional Family Mediators (FAPFM), 2) as President and Board Member of the Florida Chapter of AFCC, 3) as Chair of the Florida Parenting Coordination Workgroup appointed by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Pariente, 4) as ADR Subcommittee Chair of the Task Force on Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases appointed by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince, 5) on the Florida Supreme Court Mediation and Arbitration Training Committee, and 6) as Legislative and Public Policy Chair of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). He is a mediator, mediation trainer, dispute resolution system consultant and Florida licensed psychologist (PY3033) and has maintained a private since 1984. Greg is 1) a Florida Supreme Court certified Appellate, Circuit Court, County Court, Dependency, and Family Mediator, 2) an Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) Advanced Practitioner, and 3) a Diplomate Member of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators. Dr. Firestone regularly serves as primary trainer for Family and Dependency Mediation Certification Courses. Both courses are approved by the Florida Supreme Court and the Family Mediation Course is also approved nationally by ACR. In addition, he has taught a host of other negotiation, mediation, conflict resolution and collaboration courses and frequently lectured in appellate and circuit civil mediation certification courses. Dr. Firestone lectures nationally and internationally on mediation at numerous conferences and institutes and has conducted mediation training for courts and/or government programs in Connecticut; Florida; Georgia; Maryland; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Louisiana; Ohio; Texas; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Wisconsin as well as internationally in Ireland. He is coauthor of Mediation Works: Make It Work For You, a mediation orientation video published by the Florida Supreme Court and has published numerous articles on mediation. Gregory Firestone served as Official Observer (on behalf of ACR and AFM) to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (aka Uniform Law Commission) Uniform Mediation Act Drafting Committee for three years. In addition, he has participated in Florida Supreme Court Committees and Subcommittees that have developed mediation rules which have been adopted by the Florida Supreme Court and mediation confidentiality and privilege protections which have been adopted by the Florida Legislature. Greg has received numerous awards including the 2012 Florida Supreme Court Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution Award, the 2012 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Presidential Award, the 2011 Florida Academy of Professional Mediators Merit Award, and the 2002 Association for Conflict Resolution Presidential Award. He was awarded an Exceptional Service Award from the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida in 2018.
Areas Of Expertise
- Appellate
- Bankruptcy and Credit
- Dispute Systems Design
- Education/Schools
- Employment
- Estate/Probate/Trusts
- Family Law
- Governmental/Public Agency
- Healthcare
- General Mediation
Special Designation
- N/A
Areas Of Certification
- County Court
- Circuit Civil
- Family Law
- Appellate
- Dependency