HiLLSboRougH County LEaDS tHE StatE in MEDiation innovation
Mediation & Arbitration Section Chair : HaroldOehler – OehlerMediation
Hillsborough County has led the state in mediation innovation since the late 1980s . In 1988 , the 13th Judicial Circuit hosted Florida ’ s first mandatory mediation pilot program . This program was led by future Hillsborough County Court Administrator , Mike Bridenback , and Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Ben Overton . The pilot program was so successful that every Florida circuit court soon adopted it . Bridenback says that the Florida Supreme Court chose mediation as its primary ADR tool because mediation is the only type of alternative dispute resolution capable of resolving all the issues in a case because it empowers the parties to use their right of self-determination .
Florida ’ s first Mediation Best Practices Handbook was recently created by the Hillsborough County Bar Association ( HCBA ). Harold Oehler , Chair of the HCBA ’ s Mediation and Arbitration Section , conceived the Handbook as a way to start an ongoing dialogue
with so many leaders dedicated to improving the process for litigants to decide the outcome of their disputes using self-determination , the future is very bright for mediation in Hillsborough County and the State of Florida .
between trial lawyers and mediators about how to improve mediation . Thanks go out to HCBA Executive Director John Kynes and his staff , HCBA Presidents Paige Greenlee and Cory Person , and the editors of the Handbook , Judges Martha Cook , Greg Holder , AnnMarie Davis , Erin Jackson , Kim Joiner- Diaz , Chad Moore , Harold Oehler , Anthony Palermo , Tom Scarritt , and Dale Sisco for bringing this vision to reality . The Dispute Resolution Center in Tallahassee distributed the Handbook to each of its Mediation offices to expand this dialogue throughout the State .
The HCBA also created the first Litigator Mediator Forum to provide trial lawyers and mediators a venue to debate and discuss controversial mediation topics and collaboratively improve mediation . The collabo ra - tion between Hillsborough County trial lawyers and mediators inspired the Florida Bar to host its own statewide event . This June , the
Florida Bar ’ s Alternative Dispute Resolution and Trial Lawyers Sections will present the first statewide Litigator Mediator Forum during the President ’ s Showcase at the Annual Florida Bar Convention . Significantly , the next President of the Florida Bar ’ s ADR Section is Tampa ’ s own Kathy McLeroy of Carlton Fields .
Cristina Maldonado , Executive Secretary for The Florida Bar ’ s ADR Section , recently commented that “ Hillsborough County has long been recognized as a thought leader in the State of Florida for advancing mediation .” With so many leaders dedicated to improving the process for litigants to decide the outcome of their disputes using self-determination , the future is very bright for mediation in Hillsborough County and the State of Florida . n
Author : Harold Oehler – Oehler Mediation
JoIn thE mEDIatIon & arbItratIon sECtIon at hILLsbar . Com .
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