The pressure to resolve cases will be immense. That is where dispute resolution can assist either through arbitration, non-binding arbitration, mediation, or even early neutral evaluation. Thus, enhancing your ability to resolve cases as a lawyer or to help dispute resolution professionals help others do the same, is the primary mission of the ADR Section.

We welcome the involvement and participation of our members in the work of the ADR Section. Our Section grows and prospers when our members are active and share their diverse ideas and energy.

Please consider helping the ADR Section by volunteering to serve on a committee. We need your help with projects concerning outreach to our membership, networking, and social functions, building relationships with law schools, addressing diversity in the profession, working on our publications, or developing continuing legal education programs. To get involved, please contact our Florida Bar Program Administrator, Sheridan Hughes, at shughes@floridabar.org.

Be well and stay well,

We also welcomed several new members to the Executive Council and will be sharing their photos and bios with you in upcoming issues of the News & Tips.

In this afternoon of frank discussions, some of the country's foremost restorative justice scholars, judges and practitioners, alongside a stunningly personal case study, will define the concept of restorative justice, exploring its theory, origin and various models, and consider the application of restorative justice practices in our criminal justice system.

Course number 4970. Course classification intermediate. 3.0 General CLE credits; 3.0 Certification credits each in Appellate Practice; Criminal Appellate; Criminal Trial Law; Juvenile Law; and State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice.

Course number 4776. Section members register for only $50.

Looking for a way to speed up your case even as post-COVID court dockets present obstacles to resolution?  Is your case bogged down as court dockets are too big to advance? Are your motions and litigation strategies delayed or ineffective due to competition for the court’s time with unprecedented and unresolved civil matters and hearings in only virtual formats? The Alternative Dispute Resolution and Solo & Small Firm Sections invite you to spend an hour to learn from an expert-moderated panel including a mediator and arbitrator about inventive ways arbitration and mediation are being used to move cases forward even in post-pandemic times.

Course number 5227. Approved for 1.0 General CLE credit, 0.5 of which may be applied toward Ethics. Section members register for only $45.

The ADR Section has launched "Connecting the Dots," an exciting new project designed to convene conversations between ADR professionals and Florida law schools. Under the leadership of Law School Liaison Committee Chair Ana Cristina Maldonado, the first World Café-style gathering took place February 24 via Zoom. More than 60 people signed in during the evening, including professors and students from 10 of Florida’s 12 law schools and many ADR Section Executive Council and committee members. Plans are in the works for future conversations between the section, experienced practitioners and law schools. If you are interested in participating at any level in the “Connecting the Dots” project, contact Cristina at acmaldonado@uww-adr.com.

30th Anniversary of Statewide Mediator Certification

The most recent issue of the DRC's "The Neutral" celebrates the 30th anniversary of statewide mediator certification. It includes reflections from mediators on the merits of certification and what it has meant to their practices and to the profession. ADR Section members Barbara Beilly, Sam Crosby, Michelle Jernigan and Michael Lax are included. In addition, section member Bob Hoyle's "Mediation Confidentiality: Silence is Golden – and Required" is the featured guest article.

The Florida Bar annual dues season is open and it's time to renew your section memberships. We truly appreciate your membership in the ADR Section and hope that you will consider joining us again for the 2021-2021 Florida Bar year. We encourage you to renew your section membership through your Florida Bar member portal and continue taking advantage of all that we offer!

At $45, ADR Section membership is an excellent return on investment. Members recoup the annual membership fee by attending just one CLE at the member-discount price! Join us today and build your statewide network of neutral referral sources and friends. Learn more at flabaradr.com/membership.

*Some are arbitration courses, which do not qualify for CME credit.