Family Mediation

Mediations can either take place with everyone in the same room, or with the two sides to the dispute in two separate rooms. The mediators will either work with both parties present or work between the two rooms. How long does mediation take? That depends on what needs to be resolved. In practice most family disputes take on average five to seven sessions to conclude. The sessions can last upwards of an hour and a half, but generally no longer than that. The mediators examine the dispute between the two sides and strip it down to its bare bones. In doing so, they have regard for all the different components of a dispute such as the power balance between the parties, communication issues, gender issues, financial components, interests and positions and persuasiveness. With that in mind, the mediators lead the parties into a path of communication that leads them towards the resolution of the dispute.

Friarylaw’s approach to Family Mediationdiffers in some fundamental respects from other organisations. Our approach reflects our view that, at its root, mediation is a form of negotiation.  Friarylaw believe that the Mediation of Matrimonial Disputes is mutually exclusive with marital counseling.  Our approach respects the parties’ decisions to alter their relationship and aims to facilitate the formation of a strong and equitable settlement, which will allow the parties to move on with their lives with the minimum cost.

The goal of Friarylaw Family Mediation is a strong agreement at the end of the process; as a consequence of this mission, Friarylaw proactively encourages the involvement of legal and other advisers (i.e. financial, taxation, pensions) in the process.  As part of our Family Mediation Training and Accreditation Programme, Friarylaw train prospective Accredited Family Mediators in the traditional modes and practices of Family Mediation; however, in addition, our Mediators are trained and tested in the Friarylaw Hybrid Model of Family Mediation, which Friarylaw have developed in partnership with Alan Shatter, one of the foremost Family Law lawyers in Ireland, and with ADR Group (UK). We recommend the co-mediation method which uses a male and female mediator in each case. We find that using two mediators, with a gender balance, is more conducive to achieving a successful mediation.

Please visit our profile section to view biographies of our Family Mediation Trainers, Sabine Walsh and Joanna Campbell. Friarylaw-Mediation has some of the country’s most respected Family Lawyers currently working on Family Mediations throughout Ireland. We are helping to develop the most efficient and least emotional Family Mediations.