Meet Mediator
Tyler J. Kelley
Committed to Mediation
Professional Bio
Mr. Kelley started mediation work as a law student in the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s College of Law Legal Clinic in 2019. In the clinic, Mr. Kelley underwent training and completed the certification process to become a Florida Supreme Court Certified County Mediator. For his training, Mr. Kelley shadowed mentor mediators at the Alternative Dispute Resolution Department in the Ninth Judicial Circuit’s Osceola County Florida courthouse. There, Mr. Kelley first observed then co-mediated county cases before passing oral observations as part of the clinic’s curriculum.
Following his experience with the College of Law Legal Clinic, Mr. Kelley continued to work with the ADR department in Osceola County as a volunteer county mediator throughout law school, even mentoring other law students as they pursued their own mediation certification and path through observation and co-mediation work. His work with the Osceola ADR department columnated in an externship with the county director of ADR. The externship focused on the administration of mediation as part of a courthouse department and on family mediation. During the externship Mr. Kelley completed the training requirements for certification in family mediation, along with being approved as an Assistant trainer in county mediation.
After graduating law school in the spring of 2020, Mr. Kelley went on to work as a contract mediator that same year in Hillsborough County with the 13th Judicial Circuit of Florida. Mr. Kelly has conducted over 1000 mediations in this position and currently provides mediation services in this role. Mr. Kelley regularly has law students observe his mediations as part of his commitment to ongoing training and mentoring of new mediators.
In pursuit of advancing his mediation career, Mr. Kelley obtained additional certifications in circuit and dependency mediation in 2021. Shortly after, he became a panelist on the Florida Department of Financial Services’ mediation panel in 2022. Mr. Kelley actively conducts insurance-related mediations as a member of this panel.
Mr. Kelley previously worked as Assistant to the Director of Mediation for a downtown Orlando law firm. In this position, he continued to conduct a wide variety of mediations, including private mediations in circuit civil matters. He designed and developed course material for mediator certification training courses in county, family, and circuit level mediation. Mr. Kelley worked with fellow mediators to design, develop, and market mediator seminars presented virtually, as well as an in-person presentation at the Florida Dispute Resolution Center’s annual conference. These seminars were given on a wide range of topics, from basic mediation skills to advanced mediation scenarios. The seminars were regularly accredited for CLE and CME credits.
Mr. Kelley currently operates his own mediation firm at Kelley Mediation LLC, mediating a wide variety of private cases and disputes. He continues to work as a contract mediator with the Thirteenth Circuit and as a mediator with DFS.
Educational Background
Mr. Kelley’s academic degrees include a Juris Doctor acquired in May 2020 from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s College of Law; a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Flagler College-Tallahassee, acquired in May 2017; and an Associate in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies from Wiregrass Technical College, acquired in August of 2015.
In law school, Mr. Kelley focused on alternative dispute resolution work by completing the school’s mediation clinic and a field placement in family mediation. Prior to graduation, he completed over 100 mediations as a Florida Supreme Court Certified County Mediator. This experience enabled him to apply for family mediation certification prior to attaining a graduate-level degree. During this time, he was also a Student Ambassador for the Office of Admissions at the College of Law, and a volunteer in the Voter Protection Coalition in the 2018 election cycle. His upper-level writing focused on criminal procedural issues regarding the Batson Challenge. His 2L and 3L coursework included: Advanced Trial Practice; Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiation; Law Office Management; Federal Income Taxation; Copyright; Entertainment; and writing seminars in corporate justice and alternative healthcare law.
While working towards his B.A. at Flagler College-Tallahassee, Mr. Kelley developed a full-scale marketing and business plan for a local business and was a founding member of the Future Business Leaders Association at the school. He was also one of sixty students selected to participate in Florida State University’s College of Law Summer for Undergraduates program in preparation for law school. He graduated Flagler College-Tallahassee Magna Cum Laude.
In pursuit of his Associate Degree, Mr. Kelley interned with the Solicitor General’s Office in Lowndes County Georgia, and graduated from his technical college with honors.
Committed to Excellence
Committed to Excellence
Personal Bio
Originally from south Georgia, Mr. Kelley moved to north Florida with his wife to complete his undergraduate degree and then to central Florida for law school. He is a husband, father, mediator, and avid fan of football and mixed martial arts. He trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is a regular visitor of central Florida’s numerous theme parks, and enjoys comedy series such as The Office, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99, and Super Store.