Join me and a federal judge 7/10 for free noon CME/CLE!

My old colleague from the United States Attorney's Office in the early 1990s, current U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron, and I will give a lunchtime Zoom for the ADR Section of The Florida Bar July 10, 2026 at noon ET about conducting federal mediation in the Middle District of Florida, as well as nuances in the Northern District and Southern District. We aim to dispel the impression that mediation in federal cases is somehow different or more difficult. In fact, the similarities are actually greater than the differences. All three federal district courts in Florida: Routinely require mediation; Treat mediation as part of case management; Require attendance by decision-makers; Protect confidentiality; and Expect counsel to participate seriously. Where they differ is primarily in local rules and administration. Attendees of this alternative dispute resolution online presentation will leave with a better understanding of how mediation functions as a structural component of federal civil practice in Florida, including magistrate judge-directed settlement conferences. Our program walks through the authority for mediation under federal rules, how each district implements the process differently, and if "good faith" truly means anything in federal court. Please provide your name and email address to register for this free CLE event. Once you have registered, you will be on the list to receive an email containing the Zoom Link to attend this course. If you do not receive a Zoom link by July 10th at 10 am, please email-- flabaradr@gmail.com. Thank you! See more info and register here-- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJR7UPUqLb1vES3Kw9NhMQKeGD8NNbPOYIkcOVobRkdJ32Kw/viewform

Join us at OCBA Bench Bar 2026 on May 1!

I am pleased to be asked back to the biennial Orange County Bar Association Bench Bar Conference May 1st in Orlando to discuss private judging and arbitration, including nonbinding arbitration which is widely misunderstood. This year's football-themed event is dubbed "The Ultimate Playbook: Winning Techniques From The Bench." This unique event will bring together 300+ legal professionals, esteemed judges, and influential members from Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties, all coming together. We'll have enlightening discussions and hear valuable insights from legal experts across various domains, including Business Law, Criminal Law, Estate, Probate & Guardianship, Personal Injury, Circuit Civil, AI Ethics, and more. By being with experienced lawyers and judges, you will learn from the best and gain unparalleled knowledge from seasoned legal professionals who will share their insights on cutting-edge legal topics. Networking with the brightest minds in the legal industry, this meeting fosters valuable relationships that can shape your legal career. Training sessions will enhance your skills and keep you up-to-date with the latest developments in the legal field. We'll also preview tools from various legaltech vendors who will share how their products and services to enhance and streamline your legal practice. My session is entitled "Calling in the Special Teams: Arbitration & Private Judging." In the fast-paced game of litigation, knowing when to call in your ADR “special teams” can be the key to strategic success. This dynamic and engaging CLE will explore how arbitration and private judging are being used as powerful tools to resolve disputes more efficiently, creatively, and cost-effectively. Participants will gain insight into the tactical advantages of these alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, including how and when to incorporate them into their legal strategy. Seasoned practitioners will break down best practices, common pitfalls, and recent trends in the use of arbitration clauses, the selection of private judges, and the enforcement of awards and judgments. Whether you're new to ADR or a veteran seeking to expand your toolkit, this session will equip you with the knowledge to confidently navigate outside the traditional courtroom — and make the winning call when it counts. Eloisa Pino, our moderator is joined by Alice Blackwell, Lawrence Kolin and The Honorable Heather Pinder Rodriguez. See more here-- https://orangecountybar.org/resource/resmgr/documents/bench_bar/2026/ocba-bench_bar_schedule-8.5x.pdf

Orlando Film Premiere: Voice of the Mediation Client 1/21!

Join us at the Orange County Bar Association in Orlando on January 21, 2026 at noon for a film screening and esteemed panel with lunch included! This program is a collaboration of OCBA’s ADR Committee and the ADR Section of The Florida Bar that have come together for an engaging course on advanced mediation strategies designed for litigators, mediators, in-house counsel, and other dispute resolution professionals. Along with exploring cutting-edge techniques, we will cover essential ethical responsibilities for lawyers and mediators. Participants will also receive a link to the latest Florida Mediation Best Practices Handbook, packed with proven strategies, practical tools, ethics rules, and federal and state mediation forms to strengthen mediation performance and client outcomes. I will participate in an esteemed panel of experienced trial lawyers, a United States Magistrate Judge and veteran mediator colleagues. We will lead a dynamic discussion during breaks in the screening of “The Voice of the Client,” an eye-opening film just produced by the Florida Bar’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. Through powerful real-life stories, attendees will gain new perspectives on how clients experience mediation. The session is sure to spark meaningful discussions on preparation, communication, and how mediator techniques impact outcomes, helping participants elevate their mediation practice. Registration information here-- https://flabaradr.com/events/the-ocba-adr-committee-and-the-adr-section-of-the-florida-bar-presents-the-voice-of-the-client/ and direct link-- https://orangecountybar.org/events/register.aspx?id=1995577&itemid=786cc0e9-5ee8-4757-9388-b03a47a76f1c

May Mediation Mentoring Academy

Whether you are a veteran neutral, new to dispute resolution practice, or an attorney representing clients in mediation or arbitration, our upcoming Advanced Mediation Techniques Mentoring Academy next month in Tampa on May 2-3, 2025 can help you enhance your negotiation and mediation skills. Sign up now as this great interactive program featuring some of the best mediators in Florida is limited in size of participants and is only offered by us every other year! Practice techniques and receive live, immediate feedback to make you a better mediator. Gain appropriate, ethical mediation techniques to address a complex litigation case. Advance your experience in handling hurdles that can appear in complex cases. Improve how you establish “mediation momentum” and move the parties forward to close the deal. Get pro tips on testing party-imposed limitations without overstepping ethical boundaries to bring the parties to an acceptable resolution. Learn technology tips for facilitating the parties’ agreement that can enhance your practice and improve your clients’ experiences. Increase your statewide network of mentors and co-mediators, all while enjoying a stimulating, interactive opportunity to expand your skills in a risk-free environment. See more here-- https://member.floridabar.org/s/lt-event?id=a1RWQ000004oK4T2AU and https://flabaradr.com/mentoring-academy/

Fla Bar ADR Section 2025

Whether you are a veteran neutral, new to dispute resolution practice, or an attorney representing clients in mediation or arbitration, involvement in the ADR Section can help you enhance your negotiating skills. This coming year, please engage with us at The ADR Section Executive Council meeting which will meet on Friday, January 24, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. during The Florida Bar Winter Meeting at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. Note that it will be an in-person meeting only with no remote attendance option available. The ADR Section offers many opportunities to deepen your expertise in dispute resolution and further contribute to our chosen field. Our 1,000+ members include lawyers from all over Florida experienced in multiple areas of law. Join us at the next meeting with your thoughts and current issues so that together we can make dispute resolution in Florida even better. Also, be sure to put on your calendar our upcoming Advanced Mediation Techniques Mentoring Academy now in Tampa on May 2-3, 2025. Sign up now as this great interactive program featuring some of the best mediators in Florida is limited in size of participants and is only offered by us every other year. Hope everyone enjoys the holiday season and wishing you much success in settling cases in the coming year! See more here-- https://member.floridabar.org/s/lt-event?id=a1RWQ000004oK4T2AU and https://flabaradr.com/mentoring-academy/

Join us 10/30 as we reflect on 10 years!

Join us later this month on 10/30 at noon ET for a free CLE webinar as my esteemed colleague and I celebrate our 10th anniversary with ADR pioneers, Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group. We thought we would share our combined wisdom gained from helping lawyers and participants of the process get to yes over the past decade. As the registration blast indicates, veteran circuit-civi mediators of the firm, Jeff Fleming and Lawrence Kolin, will take our attendees on a journey through a decade of lessons learned from serving as full-time professional neutrals, including: - How their perceptions of mediation have changed - Comparing Zoom with in-person mediations - Preparation and mediation summaries - Opening statement by the parties - Best timing for a mediation - How long mediations should last - Why some caucuses take so long - Using brackets effectively - Asynchronous negotiation - Managing expectations The Florida Bar has accredited this webinar for 1.0 hours of General Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and of course you may, as always, self-report Continuing Mediator Education (CME) credit to DRC. Register here-- https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aMDTyUADSYG38xPgFZCGIg#/registration

Free Online Mediation CLE/CME 3/18

Join us March 18th at 1:00 pm EST for Mediator’s Notebook = Attorney’s Toolbox, a free CLE/CME Webinar with 1.5 credits of CLE from The Florida Bar, but that's not all you'll gain by attending. Whether you are representing plaintiffs or defendants, you'll gain valuable insights on helping your mediator to put everyone's focus on the path to reasonable resolution. Attorneys can often help a mediator to assess what barriers to settlement may exist. We will address what pre-mediation preparation to consider. Additionally, we will cover laying the groundwork for ongoing discussions through messaging. It is often said a case is not worth a penny more than someone is willing to pay or a penny less than someone is willing to accept. We'll discuss how those most patient at mediation have the most to gain. More information and registration details here-- https://bit.ly/3toGkd3

Happy Zoom Year! Join Us 1/22/21!

Please join us later this month for the first program of our webinar series this year in conjunction with the University of Florida Institute for Dispute Resolution. Along with my longtime colleague and fellow mediator and arbitrator at our mediation firm, Michelle Jernigan, I'll go through current dispute resolution options in Florida as reopening of the courts remains uncertain until Covid-19 no longer presents a significant risk to public health and safety. Meanwhile, mediation, arbitration, nonbinding arbitration and early neutral evaluation are proving to be as effective online as they were in person. Which means of resolution fits the particular fuss? We'll discuss the features of each form of ADR. Join us for this free Webinar, scheduled for Noon on Friday, January 22, 2021, and you'll be eligible for one general CLE credit from The Florida Bar and self-reported CME to the Dispute Resolution Center. Please register here today-- https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4952883580082820875

ADR Section Mentoring Academy

Take your mediation practice to the next level with the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section of The Florida Bar's inaugural Mentoring Academy later this month. Some of the state’s most experienced mediators, including some with whom I serve on the ADR Section Executive Council, will conduct this advanced-level Continuing Mediator Education (CME) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) workshop. You will be coached on mediation strategies and receive instructive feedback on techniques. Also, increase your statewide network with a reception following the Friday evening panel discussion. Saturday’s sessions include lunch. This first-ever Mentoring Academy will be held October 25 – 26 at the University of South Florida’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in downtown Tampa. The Florida Bar course is approved for 10 CLE/CME, 1 Ethics CLE/CME and 9 Professionalism CLE credits. The $425 tuition includes an annual membership in The Florida Bar ADR Section and those that are already section members can register for only $390. The Florida Bar ADR Section developed the Mentoring Academy in part because mediators have ethical obligations to advance the mediation profession. We are providing an opportunity for succeeding generations of mediators to have the benefit of experienced instruction from more seasoned mediators. Meaningful interaction between the mediator participants and workshop instructors is a key element of the academy. Don't miss out! Learn more here-- FlaBarADR.com/mentoring-academy

Join us next month in Orlando!

Next month, at The Florida Bar Annual Convention in Orlando, our Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section Executive Council (EC) will hold its annual meeting at the Hilton Bonnet Creek and an ADR CLE/CME Program: Inside the Mediator’s Mind. The June 14th CLE/CME will occur at 1:00pm, followed by a reception to take place from 4:30-6:30pm. The ADR EC meeting is set for June 15th at 9:00am. The ADR Section plans to continue advancing new programs and opportunities for continued growth and participation in the section. The ADR Section was established in 2010 to provide a forum for lawyers interested in alternative dispute resolution and to provide for discussion and exchange of ideas leading to an improvement of individual ADR skills and abilities. The ADR Section keeps members informed and updated regarding legislation, rules, and policies in connection with mediation and other ADR processes and the responsibilities they impose on mediator and arbitrator members, as well as provide quality continuing legal education programs. Additionally, ADR Section committees are open to members to plan and execute section activities, events, and programs to benefit section members. More information can be found at ADR section website, www.fladr.org. Our goal is to make the ADR Section more accessible to all Florida Bar members, engaging them through information on available on the website, such as links to MEAC opinions, and by our social media posts on Facebook and Twitter (@FlaBarADR). In addition, each issue of the section’s "News & Tips" publication can be viewed from the website. See the Bar's Annual Convention page for a full schedule of events here-- https://bit.ly/2G2J98F and https://bit.ly/2wDFzmf Join our ADR Section by applying here-- https://bit.ly/2wLlIRQ or click to add it when paying your Florida Bar dues renewal-- https://bit.ly/2k0fTXT

Join us 10/20 in Gainesville for CME/CLE!

My colleagues at Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group and I will be presenting a multi-faceted eight-hour CME/CLE on the topics below in conjunction with the University of Florida Levin College of Law Institute for Dispute Resolution on October 20, 2017. Together, we will share our collective experience in the trenches of mediation. Presentations include: “Standards of Good Faith Conduct in Mediation – Mediators and Lawyers,” Larry Watson, Al Tetrault and Carl Schwait “What’s Going on in the Other Room,” Richard Lord and Jeff Fleming “Language of Mediation,” Howard Marsee and Lawrence Kolin “Negotiation Skills,” Judith Lane, Kim Sands and Alvin Capp “Designing the Mediation Process,” Rod Max, Dominic Brandy and Shelley Leinicke “Cross Cultural Mediation,” Ricardo Cata, Art Garcia and Richard Lord “Diffusing Volatile Emotions,” Michelle Jernigan and Brandon Peters “The Florida Mediation Movement – a Perspective,” John Upchurch, Larry Watson, Terry White and Rod Max Registration has not yet opened, but save the date please check back for more details soon and be sure not to miss this unique program! See our reminder link here-- http://www.uww-adr.com/Annual-8-Hour-CME-CLE--Live--7-8.html

Mediation Week Professionalism Webinar 10/17

Since I began mediating in 2001, the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has experienced tremendous growth. The recognition that not all cases are well-suited for an adversarial process and that multiple paths exist to achieve justice is increasingly shared by attorneys, judges, and the public. A decade into my ADR practice, in 2011, the American Bar Association (ABA) began recognizing the third week of October as “Mediation Week,” building on the efforts of many other national, state, and local organizations, including the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). For this year's ABA Mediation Week, Upchurch Watson White & Max will present its complimentary monthly UWWM Webinar focusing on how to make language and civility work in negotiation. My esteemed colleague, Howard Marsee, with whom I first worked back in 1994, will discuss "The Language of Professionalism in Negotiation " at noon Monday, October 17, 2016. The 75-minute program presented in conjunction with the University of Florida Levin College of Law Institute for Dispute Resolution has a dual purpose to share some of the communication skills that mediators observe in really good negotiators and to explore how language can contribute to professionalism in the context of negotiations. I will help to guide the discussion as moderator. The content of this Florida Bar approved continuing legal education (CLE) is designed for trial lawyers who represent clients in mediation and for professional mediators. See more information and registration link here-- http://conta.cc/2cZWJP3

Join us in JAX for CME 6/2!

This Thursday, June 2, 2016, at the Florida Coastal School of Law, 8787 Baypine Road in Jacksonville, I will take part in a legal educational seminar geared for mediators. The course is eligible for up to 8.0 Continuing Mediation Education (CME) hours, including 4.0 Ethics, 2.0 Domestic Violence, 1.0 Diversity and 1.0 General credit. Mediators are required to self-report hours applicable to their areas of certification at the time of their renewal. (For more information on the CME requirement, visit www.flcourts.org.) Additionally, organizers have applied for accreditation for 8.0 General Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, including 4.0 Ethics Credits. (Seminar credit must be reported to The Florida Bar to satisfy CLE requirements. For more information, contact The Florida Bar at 800-324-8060, ext. 5842, or visit www.floridabar.org.) At 1:00 p.m., colleagues Michelle Jernigan, and Lawrence Kolin of the Orlando office of Upchurch, Watson White & Max Mediation Group, will present “How Do You Deal with This?” The ethics presentation will help fellow mediators anticipate, understand and be prepared to cope with some of the really difficult problems mediators encounter in everyday conferences. This section will also be interactive, dealing with real-life ethical dilemmas and practical quandaries as part of the mediation process. To see the full eight-hour agenda and register, visit www.jaxbar.org/register-event/?events_id=312.

Join me for UWWM's "Other ADR" CLE June 18th

This month, along with my Upchurch, Watson, White & Max colleagues and a special guest, we'll explore major changes being proposed by The Supreme Court of Florida's Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy in our free webinar. This webinar at noon on Thursday, June 18, is set following The Florida Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Section and formal commenters to "Other ADR" proposals at oral argument this week the Florida Supreme Court. Incoming Chair of the ADR Section, Bob Hoyle, will share highlights of his presentation and the reception of rules by the bench at oral argument set in this matter. See more information on these rules here-- http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/proposed.shtml#altdispute and be sure to tune in here-- http://www.wfsu.org/gavel2gavel/live.php As CLE presenters, we will review the perceived potential outcome based on this oral argument, as well as explain the new rubric for use of these added settlement techniques. All three presenters-- Lawrence Kolin, Bob Hoyle and Michelle Jernigan-- are members of The Florida Bar ADR Section's Executive Council and will bring special insight to the debate over proposed amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules and Family Law Rules, and brand-new Florida Rules for Court-Appointed Alternative Dispute Resolution Neutrals Regarding Alternative Dispute Resolution Processes for which No Other Supreme Court Rules or Standards for Professional Conduct Exist. This CLE webinar is geared toward litigation practitioners who mediate frequently, as well as mediators who may be eligible for CME. After registering at-- https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8638477297530214914, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining our upcoming GoToWebinar program. Look forward to having you join us and if not, the program will be available for replay at-- http://www.uww-adr.com/downloadable-webinars, along with our other CLE programs.

Join me next month at Professional Mediation Institute!

On August 21, 2013 in Orlando, Florida the Professional Mediation Institute or PMI will conduct its fourth annual education program. This year, each program will be recorded, and all attendees will be provided with access to the recordings. Though it is impossible to attend two sessions at once, this format ensures attendees can gain access to fulfill their entire Continuing Mediator Education (CME) requirement with one seminar registration. In addition to plenary sessions, three simultaneous programs will be presented during each hour. With a multitude of experts from around the country, this program will focus on specific areas of interest. I will be speaking on commercial mediation intricacies. There are two programs on domestic violence in mediation, three programs on mediator ethics, and an outstanding program on diversity concerns. For Florida mediators, CME credits in these disciplines is required; these topics are a great tool for all great mediators regardless of CME requirements.See more details here: http://www.pmi360.com/ and my speaker bio http://www.wci360.com/files/uploads/2013/Kolin,%20Lawrence%20%202013.pdf Look forward to seeing you next month!