The Role of Court Mediators in Florida

Rami Shmuely is an attorney with Chavin Mitchell Shmuely, PA, in Miami, Florida, where he handles cases relating to insurance and personal injury protection. In addition to his work with the firm, Rami Shmuely has served as a licensed county court mediator. Florida’s court mediation services are available for county civil, family law, and dependency cases. 

Court mediators provide mediation services for disputing parties to help them reach an agreement on contending issues. They encourage cooperation between the involved parties and facilitate resolutions through joint problem solving and the exploration of alternative settlements. Communications and information exchanged during the mediation process also remains confidential. If the parties involved are unable to come to an agreement, then the case may go to trial.

Mediation services provide a number of benefits. The cooperative nature of the process allows parties to decide upon mutually beneficial terms, rather than following orders determined by a judge. Mediation services also cost less than resolving a case in court and may not take as long depending on how long it takes the involved parties to reach a solution.

Car Accident Settlements in Florida

Rami Shmuely serves as an attorney in the North Miami, FL, firm of Chavin Mitchell Shmuely, P.A. In this role, Rami Shmuely prosecutes a variety of personal injury cases, including those resulting from collisions with uninsured or under-insured motorists.

The first thing a person injured in a Florida car accident needs to know is that the state follows a no-fault system for awarding damages. This means that whenever an accident causes harm to a person or his or her property, the injured party must first seek compensation from his or her own insurance company. 

The injured person’s insurer will pay for costs associated with medical care, lost income, cost of repairs, and other economic and non-economic damages, up to the individual's policy limits. In the state of Florida, these limits may be no less than $10,000. To accept this compensation, the policy holder must agree not to pursue further compensation related to the event.

The exception to this rule becomes relevant when an accident causes death or permanent injury. In these cases, the injured party may bring a court case against the other driver, provided that he or she initially files with the court within four years of the date of the accident.