The integration of the Family Mediation Service (FMS) and the Legal Aid Board marks another welcome step in embedding mediation into our dispute resolution mechanisms.
The Legal Aid Board is responsible for the provision of legal aid and advice on matters of civil law to persons unable to fund such services from their own resources. The FMS, established in 1986, provides family mediation services to married and non-married couples who have decided to separate or divorce, or who have already separated. The integration of these two bodies is an important step in the provision of a broader continuum of options to separating couples.
It is especially good to see the inclusion of Brian O’Byrne, former Head of Mediation in the Equality Tribunal from 2005 to 2011 in this new amalgamation.
