Co-located family mediation centre and law centre opened in Kilkenny

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, who cut the ribbon outside the centres on Friday, said the Board was using Kilkenny as “a centre of innovation in the delivery of legal aid and mediation”.

It has been described by the Board as a “prototype office that would test ideas in service delivery that could, if shown to be successful, be replicated across the Legal Aid Board’s network of offices”.

Philip O’Leary, chairperson of the Legal Aid Board, said: “We will be focusing closely on is the potential for the family mediation services provided by the Board to become more central to our overall offering to persons who may otherwise assume that formal court proceedings are the only viable option in family breakdown situations.

“We believe there is potential for family mediation services to provide a greater number of persons with a non-judicial option to resolving the difficult issues that often arise in a family breakdown situation.

“I believe that mediation can and will play an increasingly important role in supporting separating couples, which will benefit those involved and also the wider family law system.”