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In Florida, party self-determination is a primary directive. With that in mind, my approach to mediation is to give the parties to a dispute every opportunity to meet together, if appropriate, and consider all perspectives to their dispute: what they think they want and need, and what they really want and need in order to resolve the dispute. I strongly encourage them to consider all dimensions to the dispute, including strengths and weaknesses in their position as well as those of the other party. In addition, I urge consideration of what result might arise from an adversarial determination as well as the economic and emotional costs of getting to that point.

Charles N. Castagna is a full time Federal Mediator and Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit and Family Mediator.

He has been mediating since 1988 and has conducted thousands of mediations throughout Florida. Recently appointed by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady to Florida's Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee, Mr. Castagna is continuing his service to the mediation profession in Florida which formally began with his appointment in 1993 to the former Florida Supreme Court Standing Committee on Mediation and Arbitration Rules.

Since that time Mr. Castagna has served as President of the Florida Association of Professional Family Mediators and the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators, receiving the Academy's Award of Merit in 2006. He maintains his status as a Diplomate Member of the Academy.

Mr. Castagna currently serves as the Primary Trainer for the University of South Florida's Conflict Resolution Collaborative's 40 hour Mediation Certification Class, and he teaches a monthly 8 hour Continuing Mediator Education Class which includes training in ethics, domestic violence issues and diversity.

Since beginning to mediate in 1988 as a volunteer with the 6th Circuit's Citizen Dispute Settlement Program Mr. Castagna has conducted thousands of mediations in a wide variety of areas, including civil rights, commercial, condominium, construction, contract, corporate, employment and non-compete, family law (all issues), franchise disputes, hurricane claims, insurance coverage and bad faith, partnership disputes and dissolution, personal injury and wrongful death, premises and product liability, probate, professional liability (dental medical, legal and accounting), real estate and securities.

Mr. Castagna received his B.A. in Public Affairs (School of Public and International Affairs) from the George Washington University in 1977, and his J.D. from the Florida State University College of Law in 1980.