What is mediation in Florida?
Mediation is simply a meeting where both side of a dispute come together and – with the help of a neutral third party, the mediator – try to resolve their dispute.
Any family law dispute will eventually end with a trial in front of a judge. However, Florida law requires that the parties attend a mediation prior to the trial. This requirement is applicable to divorce, paternity and modification cases.
The great majority of cases settle at or before the mediation. This is because both parties can usually get enough of what they want to make the uncertainty and expense of a trial unnecessary. After a successful mediation the case usually proceeds to a short uncontested final hearing within a few weeks, but sometimes in a few days.