Madam, - It is disheartening that a course aimed at enhancing mediation skills is to be dropped by University College Dublin. The college has decided to axe its seven-year old higher diploma and MA in mediation and conflict resolution studies, leaving those of us who have completed the higher diploma with no place to continue our studies.
In recent years the Minister for Justice, the judiciary, barristers and leading solicitors have begun to follow the international trend towards encouraging the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and in that regard have advocated the use of mediation in a wide range of disputes including family, criminal and commercial cases.
Many members of the Bar are now training in alternative dispute resolution in order to gain the necessary skills to practice mediation. They are providing an excellent and extremely professional service directly to disputants who wish to avail of mediation. The advantages of mediation are indisputable: It allows disputants to resolve their issues in a timely manner in a private and less expensive forum.
Perhaps there are other innovative and forward looking universities that will avail of this unfortunate lucuna and provide further education for those of us who wish to pursue the study and practice of mediation. - Yours, etc,
RACHEL FEHILY BL, Herbert Road, Dublin 4.