My question involves court procedures for the state of: Florida


A complaint for removal of tenant was filed against me. I am not an attorney. I responded myself (pro se). The plaintiff is a corporation. The complaint has one attorney as “attorneys for plaintiff”. The judge ordered mediation with the county court mediation program. In his order the judge was very clear that all parties and their counsel must attend. Here is the quote: The appearance of all parties, and their counsel, is MANDATORY. The attorney must have been given, by the client, full and complete authority to settle and execute the document on behalf of the client without further consultation, if the Court has granted the absence of any party. If a business entity (i.e. an insurance company, corporation, association, partnership) is a party, a representative of that company shall also appear having full authority to settle.

The mediation was set for 9:00 AM. At 9:10 nobody from the plaintiff side was present. At 9:15 the actual owner of the building(s) showed up. He states that he is a licensed attorney and is appearing as the plaintiff (or for the plaintiff). Nobody else showed up.

My questions are:

(a) An attorney who represents himself in a matter is he still considered a pro se litigant?

(b) What motion would the attorney previously on the case (appearing on the complaint) be required to do in order to release himself from the case, so that he no longer is obligated to appear at the mediation, and what motion would this new guy, the “plaintiff-gone-attorney” be required to take to notify the court and the defendant of his appearance for plaintiff and the plaintiff’s switch to self-representation (or Self-representation by attorney), in order to fully satisfy the mediation appearance of plaintiff’s side.

Remember that the plaintiff is a corporation.

I think a British poet once said that "the attorney who represents himself in court has a fool for a client.”