Options ‘key’ to family disputes

JUSTICE Minister Brian Lenihan has added his voice to that of attorney general Paul Gallagher by calling for the development of alternatives to the courts for the resolution of family disputes in Ireland.

Speaking at the European Collaborative Law Conference in Cork, Mr Lenihan invited collaborative lawyers to submit formal proposals on how their resolution model can be incorporated into legislation.

In what will be seen as a significant boost for the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) model, the minister said there was an undeniably strong case for encouraging alternatives to litigation to resolve disputes arising from family breakdown in particular.