Tampa Bay Mediation offers dispute resolution and communication consulting services. 

We specialize in complex multi-party cases. 

A non-attorney mediator offers the same skills as an attorney mediator WHEN ACTING IN THE ROLE OF MEDIATOR. Mediators are not allowed to give legal advice, must maintain neutrality, and must respect the party's right to make their own decisions (self-determination) whether they are an attorney or not. 

All Florida certified mediators go through the same training whether an attorney, judge, or any other professional who meets the educational requirements. Being an attorney does not give allowance for any special shortcut in training, and attorneys still must follow the rules set by the Florida Supreme Court. 

Select a certified mediator that works for you. 

Whether you hire an attorney for mediation is entirely up to you.  In many cases, parties will attempt to settle their differences in mediation and only if they cannot, will then hire an attorney.  Others prefer to hire an attorney up front.  Again, it will depend on what makes you most comfortable.

The short answer is no, you do not.  However, mediation offers many options such as a temporary agreement, partial agreement, or full agreement, one of which might suit your immediate needs. 

While a mediator is not required to write up your agreement (Tampa Bay Mediation will assist with this), it is their job to ensure any agreement is memorialized. A mediator may only act as scribe and may only include what is agreed to in mediation. It is up to each party to ensure any agreement is accurate.
An attorney might tell you that an agreement written by an attorney is better because they know the law; however, that is a subjective opinion and not based on any facts. There are many non-attorney mediators who also know the law, or more importantly, know how to write a proper agreement.

Please see our Fees page for detailed information on mediation rates.