The Gazette 1986

APRIL 1986

GAZETTE

spent on mediation and, as a corrollary, whether mediation should be discontinued or not. The Service will have a distinct advantage for solicitors. By early referral of a case to the Service, a solicitor might save an enormous amount of time, personal stress and effort. At the moment a solicitor is expected to be a confessor, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a healer and resolver as well as an interpreter of law and an administrator of the legal system. All these quasi-messianic functions, save the legal function, will be part of the mediators' skills or attributes. All the research and comparative studies, (the most scientific of which are Canadian) show that a mediation service: (a) can help avoid unnecessary litigation; (b) Can better prepare the parties to understand the issues to be resolved; and (c) can reduce the parties' emotional turmoil. The sources of referral expected by the Mediation Service will be: (i) self referral; (ii) the Legal Aid Board; (iii) solicitors in private practice; (iv) other professionals, counselling agencies and social service agencies. The work of the Service will be evaluated continuously by independent researches, and monitoring conclusions will be submitted to the Depart- ment of Justice at the end of the pilot three year period. It is likely that the Service will become a statutory one after that time.

The service will be up and going by the end of June 1986 for the benefit of the public and profession. It will be well advertised at that time. Solicitors, particularly, are asked to recommend and support it. •

* James F. O'Higgins is Chairman of (he Steering Committee and Pilot Scheme for Family Mediation.

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Submission of Articles The Editorial Board welcomes the submission of articles for consideration with a view to publication. In general, the most acceptable length of articles for the Gazette is 3,000-4,000 words. However, shorter contri- butions will be welcomed and longer ones may be con- sidered for publication. MSS should be typewritten on one side of the paper only, double spaced with wide margins. Footnotes should be kept to a minimum and numbered consecutively throughout the text with super- script arabic numerals. Cases and statutes should be cited accurately and in the correct format. Contributions should be sent to: Executive Editor, Law Society Gazette, Blackball Place, DUBLIN 7.

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