Whenever you have a civil dispute with another person or organization, you must choose a way to resolve the matter to your satisfaction. For many in the Pensacola region, mediation is the “go-to” solution to resolve civil disagreements. A few examples of such disputes include:
- Insurance claim disagreements
- Landlord and tenant conflicts
- Personal injury resolution
- Employment law disputes
Despite the growing popularity of mediation to address civil matters, a lot of people wonder if attorneys are qualified to act as mediators. After all, lawyers only receive training to argue cases on behalf of their clients, right? As lawyers ourselves, we want to make sure you understand that this is no longer the case.
In our state, mediators must meet a great many requirements before the Florida Supreme Court certifies them as mediators. What this means is that an attorney cannot become a mediator until he or she meets these requirements. Further, our state has an extensive set of ethical standards and rules with which all mediators, attorneys or otherwise, must comply.
We hope that you take comfort from knowing how intensive the training and certification process is for lawyers to act as mediators. If you still feel concerned about an attorney’s qualifications, we urge you to ask questions of your mediator. Listen to the answers you receive and compare them with your ultimate goals in resolving any civil disputes you may have.
You can also learn more about our firm’s mediation qualifications and credentials by continuing to review the information on our website and our legal blog. Finally, we also encourage you to reach out to our firm for personalized guidance and specific answers to any concerns you may still have.