Carol Williams, mediation services coordinator for the 4th Judicial Circuit, received a state merit award for her dedication to education at the 22nd annual Florida Dispute Resolution Center conference.
She has worked in the circuit for 22 years, including the past 14 years in the circuit’s mediation department, which trains mediators. Before that she was assistant to the court administrator. The Dispute Resolution Center is part of the Florida Supreme Court.
Williams supervises the staff and assistants in the circuit, as well as the volunteers, of which there are currently about 55, she said. Williams also mediates cases in family and county courts.
Mediators serve as neutral parties to work with both sides of a dispute, including in child support, child visitation and small claims cases.
“It’s extremely valuable,” Williams said of mediation.
“A couple of years ago, the Supreme Court designated mediation as an essential element of the court.”
Mediators invest themselves in the case, she said, but it’s important not to become emotional-
ly involved. For Williams, divorces and eviction cases are among the most difficult for her. And, she said, those $50 small claims cases are hard.
Mediation is “successful when I empower them to work out their problems,” Williams said,
Despite the emotions tied to her job, she said, “I enjoy it every day.”
One of the volunteers she trained years ago is Dan Wilensky, before he became a circuit judge. How did Wilkensky do?
“He was awesome,” she said.