How Mediators Can Help you with a Difficult Client
By: Donald G. Korman Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator Clients sometimes come to mediation with unreasonable expectations. They question their attorney’s valuation of their claim, either assuming the attorney is anxious to settle rather than try the case or having fallen so in love with their own case they...
Mediation Cancellations
The case is set for mediation in two days. You call your client to prep them and come to find out that they forgot about the mediation and can’t attend. Or in preparing for mediation, you realize that there is a deposition you need to take to properly evaluate the...
Mediator Andrew Winston Now a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator
Mediator Andrew Winston recently completed arbitrator training and is now a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator. He has been serving as a Florida Bar Attorney Fee Arbitrator since 2005. Andrew can assist clients in matters involving Insurance Coverage (Property), Insurance Coverage (Liability), Professional Malpractice (medical, legal, and accounting) Claims and...
Mediation Settlement Agreements and Confidentiality
Everything that is said at mediation is confidential, right? Therefore, if I settle my case at mediation, the amount of the settlement is confidential since the amount of the settlement was obviously discussed as part of the mediation, right? Not so fast, partner. Florida Statute 44.403(1) states that “(e)xcept as...
Listen Up: Words of Wisdom from Jane Goodall
By: Ira S. Bergman Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator Jane Goodall is neither a lawyer nor a mediator, but a truly remarkable person nonetheless. Goodall is an acclaimed scientist and naturalist who, back in the 1960s, decided that she wanted to better understand chimpanzees and their unique genetic...
Making Lemonade
By: Andrew Y. Winston Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator We are all familiar with the saying, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Essentially, try to make the best out of a difficult situation. By the time most litigants get to mediation, discovery has largely been completed, positions...