Senior Volunteer Mediators.

If you are a senior lawyer looking for something to do, I suggest becoming a volunteer county court small claims mediator. This provides you with the opportunity to assist the judiciary in reducing the court's heavy caseload while helping parties resolve their disputes by using the various techniques of mediation.

While there are different levels of mediation (county court, circuit court, dependency, family, appellate), this letter is directed to those senior lawyers who are looking to remain active and involved in the judicial process. I strongly recommend participating in their jurisdiction's volunteer county court small claims mediation program.

All mediators must be certified by the Florida Supreme Court. For county court, an applicant is required to complete a training program approved by the court. The applicant must then observe and co-mediate a set number of mediations. These participation requirements are usually met through the jurisdiction's volunteer mediation program.

Once the training program and participation requirements are met, the applicant completes the application form obtained from the court's Dispute Resolution Center, and submits it along with payment of $40 to the center. If the application requires no further inquiry, a letter and...