Important News for Certified Mediators
By: Deborah Beylus
Dear Certified Mediators,
On April 8, 2020, the Florida Supreme Court announced that it is cancelling all of the Court’s educational programs through September 30, 2020, including the Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) Annual Conference for Mediators in August. While we regret that we will be unable to gather in person, the DRC is exploring options for hosting a live, online educational conference in August on the same dates. We appreciate your support of our conference activities, and we will announce details regarding the online conference once they are in place.
Also of importance, the Florida Supreme Court has issued an emergency order related to a number of alternative dispute resolution issues to address operations during the pandemic. Highlights of the order include granting deadline extensions and abating late fee assessments for mediator certification and renewal; and allowing certified mediators to complete their CME requirements in any format including non-live programs through December 31, 2020. Please read the full order at the following: Administrative Order AOSC20-24.
Finally, we have posted some free CME resources including topics relevant to mediating remotely. We wish you good health during these unprecedented times.