Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Senior Judges as Mediators – New Rules!

In its opinion in In Re: Report of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy Committee on Senior Judges as Mediators, 2005 Fla. LEXIS 2123 [Fla. 2005], the Florida Supreme Court has approved the majority of the recommendations of the Supreme Court Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy along with a commendation to the Committee that its work represents a substantial contribution to the improvement of the administration of justice in Florida. The innovative recommendations are designed to avoid the appearance of impropriety and safeguard against potential ethical violations resulting from dual service as a senior judge and a mediator.

The following Florida Rules are amended:

Civil Procedure
Judicial Administration
Juvenile Procedure
Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators
Family Law Rules of Procedure
Code of Judicial Conduct

Except for Judicial Administration, the effective date of the amendments is January 1, 2006.

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