Signatures Simplified: What the April 2025 Amendment to Rule 1.730 Means for Your Next Settlement

As of April 1, 2025, Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.730 has been streamlined. In a significant move to reduce procedural friction, the Florida Supreme Court deleted the requirement that counsel must sign mediated settlement agreements.

What Changed

Under the prior version of Rule 1.730, mediated settlement agreements required signatures from both the parties and their counsel. The April 2025 amendment removes the attorney-signature requirement entirely. Now, only the parties or their representatives with “full authority to settle” (per Rule 1.720(c)) must execute the document for it to be binding.

Why It Matters

The amendment was driven by years of disputes over what counts as a binding mediation outcome. By removing the counsel-signature requirement, the Supreme Court has signaled a clear policy: the parties, not their lawyers, control settlement. This dramatically reduces post-mediation challenges based on technical execution defects.

Practical Implications for Counsel

Verify your client’s authority before the session begins. The new rule places enormous weight on the “full authority” certification under Rule 1.720(c). If the person at the table cannot legally bind the entity, the entire mediated agreement becomes vulnerable. We recommend confirming corporate authority in writing before walking in, not in the parking lot afterward.

The Alvarez Approach

Our neutrals now incorporate an explicit authority confirmation at the opening of every session. This five-minute exercise has saved counsel countless hours of post-mediation enforceability litigation.