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WELCOME TO MEDIATION TRAINING GROUP!

Mediation Training Group (MTG) is a premier Florida Certified Mediation Training Provider. Robin Caral Shaw, Esq., is the owner and Primary Trainer.

Mediation may take place online, by phone, or in person. Mediation is described as “assisted negotiation”.  People having a dispute meet with a mediator, who is both neutral and impartial, and who is there to help the people having the dispute negotiate their own resolution of the conflict.  The mediator asks questions to allow each person to tell their story, to analyze each side’s concerns, to consider the source of the conflict, and to work toward a mutually agreeable resolution by working as a team to explore options satisfying each person’s priorities.  The mediator helps people listen to one another to cobble together a workable mediated solution.

MTG teaches the skills to become an effective listener and assist the negotiation without expressing an opinion, giving advice, or offering solutions. 

Join us and learn “mediation magic”!

HOW DO YOU BECOME A FLORIDA SUPREME COURT CERTIFIED MEDIATOR?

Click here to view a step-by-step guide on how to become a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator published by the Florida Supreme Court. The seven (7) requirements for becoming certified in any Florida mediation category (Circuit Civil, County, Family, Dependency, and Appellate mediation) are: 

Applying before the end of 2024

1. Accumulating One Hundred (100) Points: Each applicant must accumulate 100 points through completing an approved certification program (30 points), providing proof of the highest educational level achieved (10 or more points), observing mediations conducted by FL Supreme Court Certified mediators, and possibly adding additional points through specific experience or qualifications. 

2Completing a FL Supreme Court approved mediation certification training program: MTG certification programs are all approved for that purpose, and all Primary and Assistant Trainers, and Subject Matter Specialists, are approved to teach their respective areas of expertise.

3. Being at least twenty-one (21) years of age when submitting the Application. 

4. Satisfying the minimal education requirement: County mediators must have at least a high school diploma or GED. All other mediators must have at least a Master’s Degree in any field. An applicant can only be certified as an Appellate Mediator after being certified as a Circuit, Family, or Dependency Mediator.

5. Providing proof of completion of the required number of observations to reach the 100 points required for course completion.

6. Completing and mailing the Application and payment of the Application fee (to the State of Florida) for Mediator certification within two (2) years after finishing training.

7. Getting fingerprinted for criminal investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to establish an applicant’s “good moral character”.

Applying in 2025:

  1. Numbers 1-7 continue to apply except that only a Bachelor’s Degree is required for certification as a Circuit Civil, Family, Dependency, or Appellate mediator when combined with other accumulated points.
  2. Becoming a certified County mediator.  A certified Circuit Civil, Family, or Dependency mediator seeking County certification may qualify if currently certified as a Circuit Civil mediator —  or —  currently certified as a Family or Dependency mediator AND obtaining 30 points observing or conducting mediations under the supervision of a certified County mediator during the two years prior to applying for county certification.
  3. Becoming a certified Circuit Civil mediator.  For initial certification, an applicant must have at least a Bachelor’s Degree and 100 points which must include at least (a) 30 points for completing a training program, (b) 25 points for education – or – 20 points for education and 5 points for mediation experience – or – 20 points for education and 5 points for a graduate certificate in conflict resolution, and (c) 40 points for mentorship.
  4. See the Rules for Certified and Court-appointed Mediators for details on obtaining Family, Dependency, and Appellate mediation certification.
  5. Mentorship. Ten (10) points will be awarded for each observation and fifteen (15) points will be awarded for each co-mediation/supervised mediation for which certification is sought.
  6. Additional revisions to the Rules will be covered in detail during the training.

SUMMARY OF MTG COURSES OFFERED IN 2024

  1. County Mediation Certification.  This course is open to anyone with at least a High School Diploma or equivalent and teaches essential and basic skills required to be a competent mediator.  Certification qualifies you to mediate Small Claims and Landlord-Tenant cases in the courthouse, and to mediate cases where the demand is up to $50,000 whether or not a lawsuit has been filed.
  2. Circuit Civil Mediation Certification.  This course is open to anyone with at least a master’s degree and teaches essential and basic skills required to be a competent mediator.  Certification entitles you to mediate cases where the demand is $50,001 or more whether or not a lawsuit has been filed.
  3. CME/CLE/CEU Programs.  Continuing Mediator Education, Continuing Legal Education, and Continuing Education for Mental Health programs are offered once each month for a full day, providing eight (8) hours of continuing education.
  4. Half-Day Programs are a new feature for MTG! We’ve been asked to provide in-depth assistance on topics of interest for four (4) CME/CLE/CEU credits.  Topics include Appellate Mediation and Third-Party Funding of Litigation. At least one program will be presented each month.
  5. Lunch ‘n’ Learn Programs are also a new feature for MTG!  These two (2) CME/CLE credit hour programs are intended to highlight topics of interest such as what every mediator should know about Medicare, how to manage aggressive participants, and the power of an apology. At least one program will be presented each month.

About

MEDIATION TRAINING GROUP

THE FIRST STATEWIDE MEDIATION TRAINING COMPANY: The Mediation Training Group (MTG), founded by Prof. Susan Dubow in 2000, was the first training company in Florida focused exclusively on providing Florida Supreme Court-approved mediator certification training; that is, the Mediation Training Group set the standard for Mediator Certification training and Continuing Mediator Education statewide as prescribed by the Florida Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Center.

BACKGROUND:  While every State has some form of mediation incorporated into its Court system, only seven States offer mediation certification, and Florida set the standard when, in 1988, it revised Chapter 44, and created Mediation Alternatives to Judicial Action, which was later adopted as the Uniform Mediation Act and put into law by 48 States.  People from all over the country attend our programs now offered on Zoom.

PASSING THE BATON:  After the death of the Founder in 2019, Robin Caral Shaw, Esq. became the Primary Trainer of MTG and is proud to be its owner.  Robin became County and Family Certified in 1998, Circuit Certified in 2005, and was the first Certified Appellate Mediator in Palm Beach County.  Robin has been a trainer for MTG since 2004. She is admitted to the Bar in Florida, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, maintains a transactional/contracts/business practice, and mediates, while operating and expanding MTG into new areas of conflict resolution.

THOUSANDS TRAINED:  MTG, offering Certification and a wide variety of Continuing Education courses since 2000, has trained several thousand mediators, many of whom come back regularly for their Continuing Education credits necessary to maintain their certification and for the live, interactive, camaraderie available through the convenience of Zoom programs.

FOUR UNIQUE CME/CLE/CEU PROGRAMS EACH YEAR: MTG established the practice of offering four (4) Continuing Mediator Education (CME) programs each year on a monthly rotation.  Each of the four programs is also approved for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, and Continuing Education units (CEU) for mental health professionals. 

PROGRAMS ALWAYS INCORPORATE THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION: We constantly update each training with the latest news and information.  The Florida Supreme Court controls Alternative Dispute Resolution training and education in Florida, and actively reviews and modifies the governing laws, Rules, and opinions, and we share that information as it is released.  We also provide information on the latest cases, articles of interest, and evolving issues so that each program is completely up to date.

ROBIN CARAL SHAW

Robin Caral Shaw, Esq., is the owner and Primary Trainer of Mediation Training Group (MTG).  She is a member of the Bar in Florida, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. After practicing with a law firm in Washington, DC and with a Fortune 100 company in Pennsylvania, she relocated to Florida and established her own firm in 1998, focusing on contract drafting and negotiation, mediation, and mergers and acquisitions. Her first mediation certifications were in Family and County in 1998, followed by Circuit, and then by Appellate when that certification became available. She began teaching for MTG in 2004 and became its Primary Trainer after the death of MTG’s Founder, Susan Dubow, in early 2019.

CURRENT COURSES


• Circuit Civil

• CME/CLE/CEU

• County

• Half-Day Programs

• Lunch 'n' Learn

Calendar

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9:30 AM - CME-C
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30 Oct
October 30, 2024    
12:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Zoom Meeting
Lunch 'n' Learn | Let's Talk About Conducting a Zoom Mediation
01 Nov
November 1, 2024 - November 3, 2024    
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Zoom Meeting
Circuit Civil Mediation Certification Training Part 1
07 Nov
November 7, 2024 - November 8, 2024    
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Zoom Meeting
Circuit Civil Mediation Certification Training Part 2
12 Nov
November 12, 2024    
12:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Zoom Meeting
Lunch 'n' Learn | Let's Talk About Managing Misbehaving Attorneys in Mediation
15 Nov
November 15, 2024    
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
$199.00
Zoom Meeting
CME-C
16 Nov
November 16, 2024    
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
$99.00
Zoom Meeting
This is a half-day course, with five (5.0) CME/CLE General Hours and one (1) CME/CLE Ethics Hour.  It focuses on why and how mediating a [...]
22 Nov
November 22, 2024    
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
$55.00
Zoom Meeting
Lunch 'n' Learn | Let's Talk About Mediating with Narcissists: People Who Can Never Be Wrong
Events on October 30, 2024
Events on November 1, 2024
Events on November 2, 2024
Events on November 3, 2024
Events on November 7, 2024
Events on November 8, 2024
Events on November 15, 2024
15 Nov
15 Nov 24
Events on November 22, 2024

Upcoming Courses

County

Jan 2025

County Mediation Certification Training

January 28, 2025 - January 31, 2025
9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Price: $625.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Apr 2025

County Mediation Certification Training

April 3, 2025 - April 6, 2025
9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Price: $625.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Circuit Civil

Feb 2025

Circuit Civil Mediation Certification Training Part 1

February 7, 2025 - February 9, 2025
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Price: $995.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Circuit Civil Mediation Certification Training Part 2

February 12, 2025 - February 13, 2025
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Price: $0.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

May 2025

Circuit Civil Mediation Certification Training Part 1

May 13, 2025 - May 15, 2025
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Price: $995.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Circuit Civil Mediation Certification Training Part 2

May 18, 2025 - May 19, 2025
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Price: $0.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

CME/CLE/CEU

Nov 2024

CME-C

November 15, 2024
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Price: $199.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Dec 2024

CME-D

December 13, 2024
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Price: $199.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Jan 2025

CME-A

January 24, 2025
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Price: $199.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Feb 2025

CME-B

February 22, 2025
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Price: $199.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Mar 2025

CME-C

March 14, 2025
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Price: $199.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Half-Day Programs

Nov 2024

Half-Day | Skills Enhancement: Managing Multiple Parties, Multiple Claims, More Math!

November 16, 2024
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Price: $99.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Lunch ‘n’ Learn

Nov 2024

Lunch 'n' Learn | People Who Cannot Admit Being Wrong 11222024

November 22, 2024
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Price: $55.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Dec 2024

Lunch 'n' Learn | Let's Talk About Ch. 720 HOA Mediations

December 4, 2024
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Price: $50.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Jan 2025

Lunch 'n' Learn | Let's Talk About Conducting a Zoom Mediation

January 22, 2025
12:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Price: $55.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Feb 2025

Lunch 'n' Learn | Let's Talk About Mediating an Appellate Case

February 4, 2025
12:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Price: $55.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming

Lunch 'n' Learn | Let's Talk About Managing Attorney Misbehavior in Mediation

February 5, 2025
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Price: $60.00
Location: Zoom Meeting
See All Upcoming