The Advent Of Mediation In The Irish Courts
Divorce is a recent phenomenon in the Republic of Ireland. Many people are surprised to learn that Divorce was absent from Irish law between 1937 and 1996. This was primarily due to the stranglehold the Catholic Church held over Irish society and the law in general. This position was reflected in the Irish Constitution of 1937.
A divorce referendum was passed and subsequent Family Law Divorce Act of 1996 was passed into law. The Irish Courts began to develop case-law and procedures in relation to Divorce in the late nineties and subsequent decade. The way family law cases are dealt with in the courts has continued to evolve over the past 12 years. The recent case progression rules highlight the recent drive from the courts services and judiciary to refine the case management procedure in the family law courts.
Key legislation includes the Judicial Separation and Family Law Reform Act of 1989, The Family Law Act of 1995 and the Family Law (Divorce) Act of 1996. The vast majority of separation and divorce cases in Ireland are dealt with in the Circuit Court and the High Court. The District Court also has jurisdiction to deal with certain types of family law applications. However, the District Courts do not have jurisdiction to deal with applications for divorce or separation.
As family law systems within these courts continue to evolve, Alternative Dispute Resolution is beginning to come to the forefront for various reasons. Firstly, there has been an increase in the number of mediators trained within the Republic of Ireland by companies such as Friarylaw and Family Mediation Ireland. Secondly, there has been a recent change in the court rules which will allow a County Registrar to send a case out of the courts list to mediation. The County Registrar is a court officer with the power to make certain types of order before a case goes to hearing. Finally, the recession has begun to take it’s toll on the number of cases been referred to the courts for hearing. People have less resources available to wage protracted and costly court proceedings.
It has been suggested that further legislative change will be enacted in due course which may involve a further drive to move more and more cases into the mediation process. In future a party who fails to go to mediation, where offered mediation by the other side to a dispute, may face punitive measures from the courts to include a legal costs order. Such cost implication may leave parties with no alternative but to thrash out their differences.
Mediation offers parties a viable alternative to bad relations going forward. Where parties exit the courts system this can lead to further bad feelings and acrimony. As court systems continue to develop within the Republic of Ireland, mediation is becoming the new face of alternative dispute resolution. Parties attending mediation are advised to take legal advice throughout the process.
Mediation presents a real viable alternative to costly, protracted court proceedings.
Eoin Cullina is a mediator with Family Mediation Ireland working in the areas of divorce mediation, and divorce mediation training courses.