Myra Bennett Torres, JD

E-mail Address mtorres@divorcedoneright.com

Myra Bennett Torres brings a wide range of legal experience, in family\divorce, business, real estate, probate and bankruptcy to her work as a certified family and civil mediator. Since her dual mediation certification in 1994, Ms. Torres has mediated innumerable cases where her multi-disciplinary experience allows her to deal effectively with family and civil matters.

Following a clerkship on the Fourth District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida she has worked as a private attorney since 1979. With extensive experience in general civil litigation and real estate transactions she now practices law focusing on all types of family law issues, with the goal of making the best resolutions possible, by way of consultation, representation and mediation, including collaborative law. Ms. Torres was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1976, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 1977, and the United States Supreme Court in 1988. She is a member of the Collaborative Family Lawyers Institute, Inc. and the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Admissions to Practice

• Supreme Court of the State of Florida 1976
• United States District Court Southern District of Florida 1977
• United States District Court Trial Bar 1983
• Supreme Court of the United States, 1988

Mediation and Family Law Qualification and Experience

Certifications:

• Certified Family Mediator by Florida Supreme Court 1991
• Certified Circuit Court Mediator by Florida Supreme Court January, 1994
• Certified Circuit Civil Mediator January 1994
• Mediator United States Bankruptcy Court
• Approved State of Florida Department of Insurance Mediator

Education:

• Bachelors of Arts, Cum Laude, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 1972
• Juris Doctor, University of Florida Law School, Gainesville, Florida 1976

• Participant in College of Law International Law Program, Studies in East-West Trade and Comparative Law, Cambridge, England and Warsaw, Poland
• Legal Intern, Office of the Public Defender, West Palm Beach, Florida
• Member International Legal Fraternity Phi Delta Phi

Memberships/Activities:

• Member of Collaborative Family Lawyers Institute, Inc.
• Member of Florida Academy of Professional Mediators, Inc.
• National Board of Accredited Diplomate, Member Forum of Family Mediators of the American Mediation Association
• Participant in the Pro Se Family Mediation Project of the Dade County Bar Association Office of Public Service
• Judge, University of Miami School of Law, Moot Court Board Negotiation Competitions.
• Mediator/Judge of Final Mediation Session, 2001 Regional Mediation Competition Sponsored by American Bar Association hosted by University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fl.
• Hearing Officer School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Active participate in the Dade County Bar Association and “Put something Back” , Pro Bono program, representing indigent clients in family matters

Community Activities

• Recipient of the Dade County Bar Association and "Put something Back" , Pro Bono Award for Domestic Violence (1996) for representing victims of domestic violence seeking Permanent Injunctions.
• Volunteer with the Cadet Squadron of the Civil air Patrol, South East Florida Wing of the United States Air Force Auxiliary.
• Participant in Career Day presentations with Miami Dade Public Schools

Foreign Languages Spoken

• Spanish

Mediation and Legal Educational Courses

• Collaborative Law Seminar (Jan 31, 2003)
• Skill Building for Family Law Mediators
• From Getting Clients to Getting Settlements: The Business and Practice of Mediation From an Ethical Perspective ( July 2007)
• Divorce-Mediation, Accounting and Tax Issues, April 2007
• Changes: The Future of Custody Litigation
• Family Law Ethics: a View from the Bench
• The Business of Mediation
• Handle with Care-What every Mediator should know about Domestic Violence
• The 20th Annual, View from the Bench, Substantive Family Law Issues:
• The 15th Annual, View from the Bench, Dade County Bar Association Family Courts Committee