With the onslaught of COVID-19 in the State of Florida, civil trial attorneys find themselves in a dilemma as to how to move their cases forward. The ability to get a civil case set for a jury trial has been limited as a result of restrictions imposed by Executive Orders of the Governor and Administrative Orders by the Florida Supreme Court. Pursuant to Administrative Orders by the Florida Supreme Court, jury selection proceedings and civil trials were suspended from March 16 through July 17. Currently, only in Judicial Circuit Courts and counties that have transitioned to Phase 2 Reopening is it possible for civil jury trials to be scheduled.

This article explores an alternative for civil trial attorneys to utilize court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration to move a case forward during COVID-19 restrictions.

The Process